Biden condemns Iran's attacks on Israel but won't support counterattack: report

On Saturday, President Biden vowed publicly to support Israel after Iran launched rockets and drones in an attack on the country, but reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States would not assist in a counterattack.

In a statement, Biden condemned the attacks by Iran "in the strongest possible terms."

"I've just spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel," Biden said.

"Tomorrow, I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack," the president continued. "My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will stay in close touch with Israel’s leaders. And while we have not seen attacks on our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people."

According to Axios, a White House official said the president told Netanyahu behind the scenes, "You got a win. Take the win," referring to the intercept of nearly all the projectiles launched. The official noted that President Biden said the US would not support an offensive operation against Iran, and that Netanyahu understood.

A senior Israeli official also told the outlet that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin asked Israel's Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant to notify the US before his country's response to the Iran attack.

Earlier on Saturday, Iran launched a direct attack on Israel with "dozens of drones." Officials expected that an attack from Iran could come after Israel killed two Iranian generals and several members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force in an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria two weeks ago.

President Biden cut his weekend in Rehoboth Beach short Saturday afternoon when it became clear that an attack from Iran on Israel would be happening "sooner rather than later." When asked about a message to the leaders in Iran, the president simply said "Don't."