(UnitedVoice.com) – Israel and Iran were once allies, but that all changed during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The countries are now deeply divided and often referred to as enemies. The US even gives Israel billions of dollars every year to protect itself from the threat of Iran.
Tensions between the two countries recently exploded, and President Joe Biden is trying to stop an all-out war in the region.
What Happened?
On April 1, Israel launched an airstrike on Iran’s embassy in Damascus, Syria. The strike killed several members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including a top general. The Iranian and Syrian governments condemned Israel for the attack.
The day after the bombing, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge. President Ebrahim Raisi told the press that the strike would “not go unanswered.”
The United States warned Israel a retaliatory attack was imminent. Although Iran has been fighting a shadow war against the Jewish State for years, using rebel groups like Hezbollah as proxies, the government had never launched a direct attack on Israel before. That all changed on April 13 when the Iranian military fired some 300 missiles and drones into Israel.
US Calls G7 for Emergency Meeting
On Sunday, April 14, the Group of Seven (G7) leaders held an emergency meeting at the request of President Biden. He’s trying to stop a broader regional war from breaking out. The leaders of Japan, the United Kingdom, the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, and France issued a joint statement declaring they were “unequivocally condemn[ing]” Iran for its attack on Israel. Further, the nations said they were standing in “full solidarity and support” of the Israeli government and people.
The G7 leaders expressed concern that Iran was going to further destabilize the Middle East and that its actions would result in another strike from Israel.
Biden Issues Warning
Though Biden made it abundantly clear to Iran that the US would stand behind Israel if the Arab nation continued its strikes, he reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he would not involve America in a counterstrike from them. Iran announced on Sunday that its retaliation for the attack in Syria was over unless Israel escalated the conflict.
War hawks in Israel are reportedly pressuring Netanyahu to attack Iran again. During a phone call with Netanyahu, Biden advised against it. The US, Israel, Jordan, and others intercepted most of the Iranian missiles during the attack on April 13. There was very little damage to Israel as a result. Axios reported that a White House source said Biden told the prime minister, “You got a win. Take the win.”
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