(WASHINGTON) Joe Biden on Wednesday reaffirmed his “unwavering” support for Israel in the face of Iran's threats of retaliation after a deadly attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.
Iran is “threatening to launch a significant attack against Israel,” the US president said during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House.
“As I told Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel's defense in the face of these threats from Iran and its allies remains steadfast,” he added.
“I repeat: Unwavering. We will do everything we can to protect Israel's security,” Joe Biden continued.
The comment comes at a time of heightened tension between the US president and the head of the Israeli government, with Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, publicly judging that he is “wrong” in Gaza.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Wednesday that Israel would be “punished” after a deadly attack on the 1R April in Syria.
The strike destroyed the Iranian embassy in Damascus and killed 16 people, including seven members of the Islamic Republic's ideological army, the Revolutionary Guards, an NGO said.
Iran has already vowed to retaliate for the strike, which has heightened regional tensions amid a war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Iranian-backed Palestinian movement Hamas.
The Americans, for their part, vowed to have “nothing to do” with the attack.
“Due to the current situation in the Middle East”, German airline Lufthansa announced on Wednesday that it would suspend flights to and from Tehran until Thursday.
“We continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities,” the company said in a statement.
