US, "proud" to work with Israel, promises "severe consequences" for Iran

The White House boasted on Tuesday of having been instrumental in neutralizing the Iranian attack that launched a rain of nearly two hundred missiles on Israel. It was the US that gave the warning that it would be "imminent," with President Joe Biden and his Vice President Kamala Harris monitoring the attack from the famous Situation Room, accompanied remotely and in person by their national security team.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan attributed the Iranian "defeat" to the "close and meticulous" collaboration between the US and Israel. "We are proud of the actions we have taken together to protect and defend your security." According to his war report, US naval destroyers joined Israeli air defense units in launching interceptors to shoot down incoming missiles. At that point, Sullivan said he had no record of human or strategic damage, but "the expression fog of war was coined for situations like this," he warned.

Biden had drawn a red line, warning Iran of a response if it responded with missiles to the Israeli attack, although yesterday he reserved his reaction. "We will consult with Tel Aviv on the next steps regarding the response and how to deal with what Iran has just done, and we will continue to monitor for possible new threats and attacks by Iran and its proxies," Sullivan explained.

He admitted that, "obviously that is a significant escalation by Iran," so his government will evaluate "what are the appropriate steps to ensure American interests first, and then promote stability as much as possible." Specific measures will be taken in coordination with the Hebrew Executive and will be announced by President Biden. "We have made it clear that there will be severe consequences for this attack, and we will work with Israel to ensure that this is so."

Less proud and more concerned about the escalation of conflict in the region, which he had been warning about in vain, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made a new call for an immediate ceasefire in a statement. "A full-scale war in Lebanon must be avoided at all costs, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country must be respected," he requested.

The statement included a call to the international community to urgently support the $426 million humanitarian initiative launched yesterday in Beirut. The Secretary-General, who spoke yesterday with Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati to inform him that the entire United Nations system in Lebanon is mobilized to assist those in need, promised to continue contacts and keep working on reducing the escalation of the situation.