TEL AVIV – The U.S. said Israel has its full support in defending itself after its air force struck Iranian and Syrian targets inside Syria on Saturday in response to the incursion of an Iranian drone into Israeli airspace and the downing of an F-16.
“Israel is a staunch ally of the United States, and we support its right to defend itself from the Iranian-backed Syrian and militia forces in southern Syria,” a statement from the White House said on Sunday.
“We call on Iran and its allies to cease provocative actions and work toward regional peace,” the White House added.
In an earlier statement, the State Department said Iran is putting the entire region at risk.
“Iran’s calculated escalation of threat, and its ambition to project its power and dominance, places all the people of the region — from Yemen to Lebanon — at risk,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
“The U.S. continues to push back on the totality of Iran’s malign activities in the region and calls for an end to Iranian behavior that threatens peace and stability.”
“Israel is our closest security partner in the region and we fully support Israel’s inherent right to defend itself against threats to its territory and its people,” said U.S. Defense Department spokesman Adrian Rankine-Galloway, adding that the U.S. was not involved in Israel’s military response in Syria.
“We share the concerns of many throughout the region that Iran’s destabilizing activities threaten international peace and security, and we seek greater international resolve in countering Iran’s malign activities,” he added. READ MORE
