Iran warned earlier this week that it would attack U.S. troops in the Middle East if President Joe Biden helps defend Israel from retaliatory attacks, Axios reported Friday, citing U.S. officials.
Iran is potentially prepping a retaliatory attack against Israel, which killed several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) members in an airstrike in Syria on April 1. The U.S. is currently helping Israel prepare its defense in light of Iran’s looming attacks, but Tehran is warning the Biden administration that if it interferes, it will launch attacks against U.S. troops in the Middle East, according to U.S. officials who spoke to Axios. (RELATED: Biden Admin Considers Not Calling Terrorists ‘Terrorists’ If They Stop Shooting Rockets At Ships)
Iran has told several nations throughout the Middle East that it holds the U.S. responsible for the Israeli strikes, even though the Biden administration directly told Tehran otherwise. The Biden administration is worried behind closed doors that Iran will include U.S. forces in its retaliatory attacks.
“The Iranian message was we will attack the forces that attack us, so don’t fuck with us and we won’t fuck with you,” one U.S. official told Axios. Iran may choose to launch attacks within days at this juncture, another U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Tel Nof Air Base, where he met with the personnel of the 133rd Squadron, which operates F-15s, and was briefed by the deputy base commander and the squadron commander on its activity during the war. pic.twitter.com/ov72hfGUG2
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 11, 2024
It isn’t clear whether Iran was threatening to attack U.S. forces if they helped Israel defend against an Iranian missile attack, or if the U.S. jointly worked with Israel to retaliate, a U.S. official told Axios. President Joe Biden has promised that the U.S. will defend Israel if it is attacked by Iran; Israel has vowed to strike Iran at its core if the country directly attacks Israel.
“[Israel can] count on full U.S. support to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, which Tehran has publicly threatened,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, according to the Pentagon. Gallant told Austin that “a direct Iranian attack will require an appropriate Israeli response against Iran.”
Iran has several options if it carries through on its promise to retaliate. It could rely on its terror proxy network located throughout the Middle East to carry out the attack — as it has done against Israeli and U.S. forces in prior months — or it could choose to launch an attack from directly within its borders, which risks sparking a broader conflict in the region and potentially starting a war.
Though the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, has promised “punishment” against Israel, he has also indicated the Iranian response would likely be restricted, according to Axios.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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