White House and Pentagon reiterate US readiness to defend Israel as Iran threatens major attack

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meets with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon in Washington, U.S., March 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Both the White House and the Pentagon signaled that the U.S. military was in position and ready to defend Israel as Iran threatened to attack the Jewish state in retaliation for the recent killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

“We believe they are still in position and ready to launch an attack should they choose to do so. That is why we have this increased troop presence in the region,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told Israel's Channel 12 on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

“Our message to Iran is consistent, always has been, and will remain consistent,” Kirby added. “First, don't do it. There is no reason to escalate the situation. There is no reason to potentially start a full-scale regional war. And second, we will be ready to defend Israel if it comes to that.”

Haniyeh, the exiled political leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas, was killed in an explosion in the Iranian capital on July 31. Iran accuses Israel of the murder and vows revenge, which experts and Western officials say will likely come in the form of a direct attack on the Jewish state. The Israeli government has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh's death.

Iran is Hamas's main international sponsor, supplying the terrorist group with weapons, money and training.

Kirby's comments came a day after the US Defense Department also said Washington was ready to support its closest ally in the Middle East.

“We remain ready to support Israel's defense against any aggression from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah or other actors,” Pentagon press secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder said on Monday.

Ryder also said that while the United States did not help Israel intercept missiles or drones fired by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group from southern Lebanon over the weekend, it did help the country in other ways.

“We have provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, [or] “ISR tracked inbound attacks by Lebanese Hezbollah but did not conduct kinetic operations because they were not required,” he said.

Israeli fighter jets destroyed thousands of Hezbollah drones and rocket launchers in southern Lebanon early Sunday after detecting an impending attack on the Jewish state.

Hezbollah, Iran's main proxy force in the Middle East, then fired about 300 missiles at Israel.

Several reports have confirmed Israeli claims that Hezbollah is preparing for a major attack on Israel. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday that the terror group carried out its attacks in retaliation for the killing of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander, in an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon late last month. Israel claimed responsibility for Shukr's death.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin assured Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the weekend that the US would continue to support the Jewish state in its continued self-defense against Iran and Hezbollah, according to a Pentagon press release on Monday.

In light of escalating tensions between Israel and Iran and its terrorist proxies, the United States has deployed two aircraft carrier battle groups, as well as an additional squadron of F-22 fighter jets and a guided missile submarine to the Middle East.

“The additional forces in the area of ​​operations sends a very clear message to all actors in the region that we are serious about supporting Israel's defense and also about protecting our forces should they come under attack,” Ryder said.

Kirby added that the force would stay as long as “we deem necessary to defend Israel and protect our own troops and facilities in the region.”

Analysts say Israel's successful attacks on Hezbollah military targets may have prevented an escalation of hostilities into a larger war.

“Both [Hezbollah and Israel] are satisfied with the results, which makes a full-blown war less likely,” said a senior Middle Eastern diplomat The Washington Post.

However, General CQ Brown of the US Air Force and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned that Israel still faces a possible attack from Iran.

“There were two things that were known to happen. One has already happened. Now it depends on how the second plays out,” Brown told Reuters. “Iran's response will determine how Israel responds, and that will determine whether or not there is a major conflict.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said earlier this week that Iran's retaliation for Haniyeh's assassination would be “final” and “calculated.”

According to reports, the expected Iranian response is likely to be even greater than Iran's unprecedented direct attack on Israeli soil in April, when Iran fired around 300 missiles and drones at Israel, almost all of which were shot down by the Jewish state and its allies, including the United States.