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Tensions remain high in the Middle East as we wait to see if Israel will respond to the Iranian drone bombing this weekend. President Biden said that even if the U. S. commitment to Israel were unwavering, the administration would not launch a retaliatory strike. Nick Schifrin reports.
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Geoff Bennett:
Tensions remain high in the Middle East as we wait to see if Israel will respond to the Iranian drone and missile barrage this weekend. President Biden said that while the U. S. commitment to Israel is unwavering, the administration’s commitment would not be a retaliatory strike.
Amna Nawaz:
That’s right, Geoff.
Ukraine is another country that expects better from the United States. I spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about this, his war with Russia, and much more.
But let’s start with the Middle East, where a region is on the brink.
Nick Schifrin has our report.
Nick Schifrin:
Today, at the site of Iran’s first missile strike on Israeli territory, Israel’s most sensible general warned Iran that revenge was coming.
Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (through interpreter): As we look to the future, we weigh our steps. And this launching of so many missiles, cruise missiles and drones into the territory of the State of Israel will provoke a response.
Nick Schifrin:
Iran’s unprecedented attack with more than 300 drones and missiles lit up the skies Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning across the country. World leaders temporarily united in defense of Israel.
But after U. S. officials suggested Israel respond militarily to Iran, it is now a unified European message of restraint. French President Emmanuel Macron:
Emmanuel Macron, President of France (through an interpreter):
We will try to convince Israel that we will not respond with escalation.
Nick Schifrin:
Annalena Baerbock, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany:
Annalena Baerbock, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany (through an interpreter):
Israel won thanks to its strong air defense. This defensive victory will now have to be secured diplomatically.
Nick Schifrin:
And British Foreign Secretary David Cameron:
David Cameron, British Foreign Secretary:
We hope there will be no retaliation.
Nick Schifrin:
Israel claims to have blocked Iran’s ballistic missiles in part thanks to its Arrow 3 air defense system built to counter Iranian threats. They were lucky, too. Two U. S. officials have shown that components of more than 100 of Iran’s ballistic missiles have failed in flight.
Israel’s good fortune is also the product of a defensive coalition. When moves began through Iran and its Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the U. S. had already reached agreements with Arab states, adding Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It claims to have shot down more than 80 Iranian drones.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hopes this will set a diplomatic precedent.
Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Defense (through an interpreter):
We have an opportunity to build a strategic alliance that opposes this grave risk of Iran, which risks putting nuclear explosives on those missiles, which can be an incredibly serious risk.
Dana Stroul, Washington Institute for Near East Policy: What we saw is evidence of the idea that when the strategic and security considerations of our partners align, they can surely work together.
Nick Schifrin:
Dana Stroul is director and senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.
According to her, the shootings were a success thanks to regional coordination that, until this weekend, had not been tested.
Dana Stroul:
What we saw on Saturday night is evidence that all that hard work, the investment in compatible radars, the investments to share classified military data in real time, and the confidence-building that was necessary to create this regional security architecture are working.
Nick Schifrin:
The Iranian attack on Israel was an Israeli airstrike earlier this month on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed several senior commanders.
Vali Nasr, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University: Last week you were given what you were looking for in the mental and economic impact of the tense global scenario.
Nick Schifrin:
Vali Nasr is a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. According to him, even if the attacks failed militarily, Iran hopes they will be spared from Israeli attacks in the long run.
Vali Nasr:
Iran hopes that what happened last week will make everyone, especially Europeans and Americans, believe that we don’t need to be there and come back in a week. That would put pressure on Israel, and it exerts precisely the kind of deterrence Iran seeks.
Therefore, it is more commonly a political gain than a military gain.
Nick Schifrin:
But right now, as the world calls for restraint, the resolve on how to continue rests with Israel.
For PBS NewsHour, my name is Nick Schifrin.
Jonah Anderson is a press assistant at PBS NewsHour.
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