US national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Iran on Sunday and threatened military retaliation if Tehran directly attacks US troops in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Sullivan said there have been “elevated threats against our forces throughout the region” since the conflict broke out on Oct. 7 and noted attacks on two facilities staffed by U.S. troops that were launched by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Afghanistan. Syria on Thursday.
“We said that if our troops were attacked, we would respond. We responded [against the militant groups]. Yeah [US troops are] attacked again, we will respond again,” Sullivan told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We are vigilant because we are seeing elevated threats.”
Iranian-backed forces have attacked U.S. forces or assets at least 19 times over the past two weeks, according to Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).
Senior officials in Tehran have stepped up their rhetoric against the United States as the war continues. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, for example, has warned that the United States “will not be spared from these fires.”
Sullivan also lamented the Palestinian deaths since the war broke out following Hamas’ bloody surprise attack on Israel, which sparked the all-out war.
The United States has repeatedly warned Iran (whose president, Ebrahim Raisi, recently criticized Israel at the UN) about escalating violence in the region. Iranian Presidency/AFP via Getty Images
“Each of those deaths is a tragedy. Every human life is sacred, whether it is Palestinian, Israeli, American or any life,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday.
“Hamas is doing everything it can to make this more difficult. They hide, they integrate among those civilians and turn them into human shields, but that does not diminish Israel’s responsibility in this regard,” Sullivan said. “And we’ve had conversations privately.”
“The Israeli government should take every possible means at its disposal to distinguish between terrorists who are legitimate military targets and civilians,” he said. “I’m not going to react to every attack, every move they make.”
Behind the scenes, the Biden administration reportedly encouraged Israel to delay its expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, home of Hamas, in hopes of buying time to recover hostages and evacuate civilians.
Israel said it began “expanding” its ground attack on Gaza over the weekend.
Since the war broke out, more than 1,400 Israelis and 33 Americans have been killed, according to officials.
On the Palestinian side, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry estimates that the death toll there has exceeded 8,000. Many observers have questioned the reliability of those figures due to Hamas’s record.
President Biden traveled to Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 18, 2023.REUTERS
President Biden will speak with Netanyahu on Sunday, Sullivan confirmed.
The top White House adviser stressed that recovering American hostages is a top priority and that the administration is working “tirelessly” to make that happen.
At the moment, about 10 Americans are believed to be missing in Israel, and Hamas is suspected of holding at least 230 people in total, according to US and Israeli officials.
Sullivan also criticized extremist activity by Israeli settlers after it was reported that an Israeli settler killed a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank on Saturday.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan also condemned the violence by extremist Israeli settlers. AFP via Getty Images
“We believe that the Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu has a responsibility to stop extremist West Bank settlers who, as President Biden said a few days ago, are adding fuel to the fire,” Sullivan said.
Biden condemned violence by Israeli settlers last week during a news conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“It has to stop. They have to be held accountable. It has to stop now,” Biden said at the time.
The Biden administration is seeking to pressure Congress to deliver a sprawling $106 billion supplemental aid package that includes about $14 billion for Israel, as well as funds for Ukraine, the border and Taiwan.
House Republicans have sought to separate the Israel and Ukraine aid provisions for votes.
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