Washington: The United States urged Iran on Saturday to stop attacking Israel to break the cycle of violence after Israel launched strikes against the Islamic Republic in response to a missile attack.
US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savitt told reporters: “We urge Iran to stop its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting ends without further escalation.”
The Israeli military launched air strikes against Iran on Saturday, hitting military bases, missile sites and other systems in several areas.
He added, “Their response was a self-defense exercise that specifically avoided populated areas and focused only on military targets, unlike the Iranian attack against Israel that targeted the most populated city in Israel.”
He stressed that the United States did not participate in the operation, and said: “We aim to accelerate diplomatic efforts and calm tensions in the Middle East region.”
A senior administration official said that President Joe Biden and his national security team have worked with “the Israelis in recent weeks to encourage Israel to undertake a response that is targeted and proportional to the low risk of harm to civilians.”
“It appears that is exactly what happened this evening,” the official told reporters.
President Biden had encouraged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to design a response that deters further attacks against Israel while reducing the risks of further escalation, and this is our goal.”