US President Joe Biden delivers a virtual address to the National Action Network Conference, in the South Court Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 12, 2024.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images
President Joe Biden said on Friday that he expects Iran to strike Israel soon, and reiterated that the United States will support and defend Israel in the event of such an attack.
At a White House event, when asked by reporters how imminent he believed an attack by Iran was, Biden said that although he did not want to discuss “secure information,” his expectations were “sooner rather than later.”
When asked about his message to Iran, Biden said: “Don’t.”
He said, “We are committed to defending Israel. We will support Israel and we will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.”
Earlier in the day, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that US officials are in “constant communication” with their Israeli counterparts “about ensuring that they are able to defend themselves against this type of attack.”
“We believe this remains a viable threat,” Kirby said. “We are doing everything we can to make sure that Israel is able to defend itself.”
Iranian officials, including the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have vowed to take revenge on Israel for the attack on its consulate in Damascus.
In response, Israel threatened to launch a direct strike on Iran if it was attacked.
NBC News reported last week that an Iranian attack on Israel may focus on military or intelligence targets, not civilians, two US officials said. The officials also said that the Biden administration has begun examining options for how to respond to various potential retaliatory moves by Iran.
Iran accused Israel of attacking its consulate in Damascus on April 1. Israeli officials said the building was disguised as a diplomatic mission and was being used by the Iranian Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
