13 Oct 2026
U.S. President Joe Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the U.S. will not take part in a counter-offensive against Iran, an option Netanyahu's war cabinet favors after a mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, according to officials.
Biden told Netanyahu the U.S. would not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran over the attack, a White House official said.
According to U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, Iranians wanted to cause damage to Israel, but they were utterly unsuccessful in doing so.
"The President is not looking for a conflict with Iran, that the President doesn't want the tensions to escalate anymore," Kirby said.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters that an Israeli official told the U.S. that it's not looking to significantly escalate the showdown with Iran.
“I think Israel made clear to us they're not looking for a significant escalation with Iran. That's not what they're looking for. They're looking to protect themselves and defend themselves,” the senior administration official said.
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