What to know
- An Israeli response to Iran's retaliatory attack may be “imminent,” a source told NBC News as Israel weighed its next steps and after a meeting of the country’s war Cabinet today.
- The two countries clashed at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, with Tehran insisting it does not seek further escalation after it launched the barrage of 300 drones and missiles but warning of more "decisive" strikes in retaliation to any Israeli counterattack.
- U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said it was time to “step back from the brink” as a chorus of world leaders urged restraint. President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against launching new strikes on Iran. He said the U.S. would not participate in any offensive actions against Iran but has privately said he fears that Netanyahu is trying to drag the U.S. into a wider conflict, officials told NBC News.
U.S. officials expect Israeli response to Iran strikes will be limited
U.S. officials expect a possible Israeli response to Iran’s attack over the weekend to be limited in scope and most likely involve strikes against Iranian military forces and Iranian-backed proxies outside Iran, four U.S. officials said.
The U.S. assessment is based on conversations between American and Israeli officials that happened before Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday night.
As Israel was preparing for a possible Iranian attack last week, Israeli officials briefed U.S. officials about possible response options, the U.S. officials said.
The U.S. officials stressed that they have not been briefed on Israel’s final decision about how it will respond and that the options could have changed since the weekend attack. They also said it is not clear when an Israeli response will happen, but they said it could happen at any time.
Johnson outlines House plan to vote on foreign aid bills
House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke to reporters after a GOP conference meeting that he said was “fruitful and productive” and outlined his plan to put four national security bills on the House floor: Israel aid, Ukraine aid, Indo-Pacific aid and a fourth measure that includes GOP national security priorities that would include more sanctions on Iran.
“Every member ultimately will be able to vote their own conscience on all of these matters and everyone have an opportunity to weigh in and bring the amendments that they think are suitable,” said Johnson, R-La.
He said that he would prefer to send each bill to the Senate individually but that no final decision has been made.
If bill text comes out tomorrow, as is the hope, Johnson said, the House might not vote on the packages until Friday. The House is scheduled to leave Thursday afternoon and be in recess next week, but that could change.
Iranians anxious as Israel weighs strike response
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The prospect of Israeli retaliation against Iran for its drone and missile attack over the weekend has alarmed many Iranians already facing economic pain and tighter social and political controls after protests in 2022-23.
Iran’s political and military leaders have repeatedly warned that they will respond to any Israeli retaliation by escalating further, potentially triggering yet more attacks.
And that would only be bad news for ordinary people, said Hesam, 45, a teacher from the northern city of Amol.
“Economic pressure will mount. Our safety will be jeopardized. ... We must avoid conflict at all cost. I don’t want a war. How can I protect my two children? Nowhere will be safe.”
Middle- and lower-income Iranians are shouldering much of the burden of the economic woes, with inflation over 50%; rising utility, food and housing prices; and the rial currency falling sharply.
Parvaneh, 37, a mother of two in the central city of Yazd, fears an Israeli strike could be the final hammer blow to the economy, weakened by years of sanctions, mismanagement and corruption.
“We Iranians have endured more than enough for years. War brings only disaster. My husband is a factory worker. We do not have even enough money to buy staples, let alone stockpile them,” she said.
Bilal Saab, an associate fellow at Chatham House, a think tank based in London, says the Iranian strikes on Israel signify that Iran has the ability to potentially mount a more significant attack.
Rep. Scalise offers support to Netanyahu in call
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., conveyed support for Israel following Iran's retaliatory strikes over the weekend in a call with Netanyahu today, according to both of their offices.
Netanyahu's office said in a statement that Scalise expressed support "for any decision that Israel makes in light of the Iranian attack."
"Majority Leader Scalise informed the Prime Minister of his initiative to advance in Congress, in the coming days, a series of measures against Iran and for Israel; Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked him," the statement said.
Scalise told Fox News that they spoke about the House agenda this week and that he spoke to Netanyahu about his support for Israel's right to self-defense.
"He truly appreciated the action we’re taking to support Israel and to hold Iran and their terrorist proxies accountable," he said.
Jordan allowed fighter jets to intercept Iranian drones, Israeli air force official says
TEL AVIV — Jordan allowed Israeli fighter jets into its airspace to intercept Iranian missiles and drones, an Israeli air force official said today.
“In order to address something that comes from the east, we need to fly somewhere that is east of Israel,” the official said in a briefing for reporters. “This was done with coordination.”
While Iran’s direct attack against Israel was unprecedented, so was the scale of coordination between Israel and Jordan, its Arab neighbor, in the response. Jordanian and Israeli fighters — coordinated by the U.S. military — acted together to intercept the barrage of drones and missiles.
In a statement yesterday, Jordan’s government said the interceptions were made to ensure the safety of its citizens, rather than in defense of Israel.
But it is thought to be the first time the two countries’ militaries have fought side by side.
Jordan and Israel made peace in 1994, though the relationship has often been strained by disagreements over Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
U.S. looking to further isolate Iran, Kirby says
The Biden administration is working to "further isolate" Iran's regime by increasing economic pressure, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters today.
"That's the upshot here: a stronger Israel, a weaker Iran, a more unified alliance of partners," Kirby said.
Asked whether the U.S. would support a counterattack from Israel, Kirby told NBC News' Gabe Gutierrez it was a hypothetical question he would not entertain.
"We don’t want to see a wider conflict," Kirby said. "As the president said to the prime minister on Saturday night, we will continue to do what we have to do to help Israel defend itself. But you’re asking me to get ahead of — as far as I know — a decision that the war Cabinet hasn’t even made."
Blinken discusses regional concerns with visiting Iraqi delegation
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani as part of Al-Sudani's official visit to Washington this week, Al-Sudani's office said in a statement.
The two officials spoke about strengthening relations between the U.S. and Iraq, as well as potential American investment opportunities, "especially in the fields of energy," the statement said.
Regional issues were also a topic, with Al-Sudani reiterating "Iraq’s clear position on the aggression, stressing the joint legal and moral responsibility for protecting unarmed civilians." The statement went on to say Al-Sudani stressed the importance of keeping the conflict from expanding.
A statement from Blinken's office was not yet available. Speaking to reporters alongside Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim, he said he was excited to welcome the Iraqi officials to the capital and hoped to "expand that 360-degree partnership" between their countries.
Both officials warned against escalating tensions in Iran.
The covert war between Israel and Iran has exploded into view. What comes next?
The bitter conflict between Israel and Iran has long been confined to the realm of secret assassinations, audacious cyberattacks, nuclear sabotage and war-by-proxy. But that largely covert struggle burst into full view over the weekend with Tehran’s retaliatory drone and missile strikes.
Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel, which followed its deadly strike on Iran’s consular building in Syria, left the U.S. and its allies scrambling to avoid a wider conflict as the world waits to see what comes next.
Netanyahu’s war Cabinet convened today to weigh its options. Western leaders have urged restraint, with Biden warning Netanyahu against carrying out new strikes on Iran and making it clear that Washington would not join in any such counterattack. (Speaking after the war Cabinet convened, an Israeli official told NBC News that a response may be “imminent.”)
While Israel took down almost all the drones and missiles used in the attack, the U.S. and other allied countries, the stakes after the attack could not be higher. In the eyes of some foreign policy hawks, the attacks could be perceived as a grave provocation that demands a furious rejoinder. But other analysts have warned that if Netanyahu decides to hit back hard, it could plunge the wider Middle East into war amid Israel’s devastating monthslong military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
Iran's response will be 'more extensive' if Israel counters, foreign minister told Cameron
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian warned that if Israel launches an attack, the regime's next response will be "immediate, stronger and more extensive."
In a call with U.K. Foreign Minister David Cameron yesterday, Amirabdollahian reiterated Tehran's position that the assault on Israel was within the country's legal right to respond to the strike on its diplomatic building and blamed the region's tensions on "the destructive role of the occupying Israeli regime," according to a state news report.
Cameron confirmed his call with Amirabdollahian on X, saying he formally condemned Iran's retaliatory strike on Israel. He also discussed the Revolutionary Guard's seizure of a Portuguese-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
"I made clear that Iran must stop these reckless attacks, de-escalate and release the MSC Aries," Cameron wrote.