Asked by reporters what his message to Iran is at this moment, the President replied, “Don’t”.
He added, “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel, and Iran will not succeed.”
Asked how imminent an Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel might be, Biden said he did not want to get into classified information but “my expectation is sooner [rather] than later.”
Earlier, the White House said that there remains a “real,” “credible” and “viable” threat of Iran launching strikes in retaliation for the attack attributed to Israel on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria last week that killed three Iranian generals.
“We’re watching this very, very closely,” said John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, who declined to provide information about the expected timing of the threat.
The US Defense Department said it is moving additional assets to the Middle East region “to bolster regional deterrence efforts and increase force protection for US forces.”
CBS News reported on Friday, citing two US officials, that an Iranian attack against Israel is expected to occur as soon as Friday and may include more than 100 drones and dozens of missiles aimed at military targets inside the country.
The officials said it would be challenging for the Israelis to defend against an attack of such a magnitude and while they held out the possibility that the Iranians could opt for a smaller-scale attack to avoid a dramatic escalation, their retaliation was believed to be imminent.
On Thursday night, The Wall Street Journal reported Israel is preparing for a direct attack from Iran on southern or northern Israel as soon as the next 24 to 48 hours.
A person briefed by the Iranian leadership, however, said that while plans to attack are being discussed, no final decision has been made.
