01:48Mandatory credit: US State Department
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said 'strength and wisdom' both needed to be taken into account in an apparent warning to Israel following the Iranian attack at the weekend, during a meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim in Washington DC on Monday.
"Strength and wisdom need to be the different sides of the same coin," he said. "We don’t seek escalation, but we’ll continue to support the defence of Israel and to protect our personnel in the region."
Israel vowed further retaliation after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles towards the country on Saturday night, although the US and other allies warned the country against it.
"This was an attack unprecedented in its scope and in its scale. In its scope because its represented the first direct attack by Iran on Israel and its scale," Blinken added. "As President Biden underscored to Prime Minister Netanyahu, the US is… committed to Israel's defence."
He said that the past few days had demonstration that Israel 'did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of an aggression'.
The IDF claimed Iran had launched '300 threats of various types' towards Israel, adding that '99 percent' of the rockets and drones had been intercepted. The US, UK and Jordan were all involved in shooting down the projectiles. At the same time, defence minister Yoav Gallant reported that 'very little damage was caused' due to the attack.
The attack came as a response to the alleged Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed at least seven members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), including a senior Quds Force commander. Israel did not claim responsibility for that attack.
IRGC Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri has warned that Tehran would launch a 'much bigger' offensive if Israel were to target Iranian soil in response to Saturday’s attack, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was prepared to respond to a 'direct attack by Iran'.
President Joe Biden reiterated his 'ironclad' support for Israel while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides to exercise restraint.
'Strength and wisdom need to be different sides of same coin' - Blinken appears to warn Israel at meeting with Iraqi deputy PM
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said 'strength and wisdom' both needed to be taken into account in an apparent warning to Israel following the Iranian attack at the weekend, during a meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim in Washington DC on Monday.
"Strength and wisdom need to be the different sides of the same coin," he said. "We don’t seek escalation, but we’ll continue to support the defence of Israel and to protect our personnel in the region."
Israel vowed further retaliation after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles towards the country on Saturday night, although the US and other allies warned the country against it.
"This was an attack unprecedented in its scope and in its scale. In its scope because its represented the first direct attack by Iran on Israel and its scale," Blinken added. "As President Biden underscored to Prime Minister Netanyahu, the US is… committed to Israel's defence."
He said that the past few days had demonstration that Israel 'did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of an aggression'.
The IDF claimed Iran had launched '300 threats of various types' towards Israel, adding that '99 percent' of the rockets and drones had been intercepted. The US, UK and Jordan were all involved in shooting down the projectiles. At the same time, defence minister Yoav Gallant reported that 'very little damage was caused' due to the attack.
The attack came as a response to the alleged Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed at least seven members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), including a senior Quds Force commander. Israel did not claim responsibility for that attack.
IRGC Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri has warned that Tehran would launch a 'much bigger' offensive if Israel were to target Iranian soil in response to Saturday’s attack, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was prepared to respond to a 'direct attack by Iran'.
President Joe Biden reiterated his 'ironclad' support for Israel while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides to exercise restraint.
Mandatory credit: US State Department
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said 'strength and wisdom' both needed to be taken into account in an apparent warning to Israel following the Iranian attack at the weekend, during a meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim in Washington DC on Monday.
"Strength and wisdom need to be the different sides of the same coin," he said. "We don’t seek escalation, but we’ll continue to support the defence of Israel and to protect our personnel in the region."
Israel vowed further retaliation after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles towards the country on Saturday night, although the US and other allies warned the country against it.
"This was an attack unprecedented in its scope and in its scale. In its scope because its represented the first direct attack by Iran on Israel and its scale," Blinken added. "As President Biden underscored to Prime Minister Netanyahu, the US is… committed to Israel's defence."
He said that the past few days had demonstration that Israel 'did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of an aggression'.
The IDF claimed Iran had launched '300 threats of various types' towards Israel, adding that '99 percent' of the rockets and drones had been intercepted. The US, UK and Jordan were all involved in shooting down the projectiles. At the same time, defence minister Yoav Gallant reported that 'very little damage was caused' due to the attack.
The attack came as a response to the alleged Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which killed at least seven members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), including a senior Quds Force commander. Israel did not claim responsibility for that attack.
IRGC Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri has warned that Tehran would launch a 'much bigger' offensive if Israel were to target Iranian soil in response to Saturday’s attack, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was prepared to respond to a 'direct attack by Iran'.
President Joe Biden reiterated his 'ironclad' support for Israel while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged both sides to exercise restraint.