Israel’s strikes against “multiple military targets” in Iran tonight were “broad”, “targeted” and “precise”, according to a senior US administration official, adding that it was “designed to be effective” in deterring future attacks from Iran and degrade. their capabilities.

“This should be the end of direct military exchange between Israel and Iran,” the official said in a call with reporters after the operation ended.

“As far as we are concerned, this direct exchange, this should be the end of it. I will say that I have heard the same from many throughout the region, including many with close ties to Iran. So we’ll see how that plays out.”

If Iran decides to respond to these attacks, the official said, “We are fully prepared to defend Israel and support Israel, and there will be consequences.”

In recent weeks, President Biden and his national security team have been working with the Israelis “to conduct a response that was targeted and proportionate to the low risk of civilian harm,” the official said. “And that seems to be exactly what happened tonight.”

The official said Biden discussed the overall situation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week and “encouraged” him to “design a response that served to deter further attacks against Israel while reducing the risk of further escalation.”

The US leaves it to the Israelis to describe the purpose of their response.

President Joe Biden was briefed several times throughout the evening by national security adviser Jake Sullivan as the operation unfolded and throughout the day as it unfolded, according to the senior administration official.

In a statement this evening, National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett reiterated that the US did not participate in these attacks and urges Israel to cease any further attacks on Israel.

“Israel has announced that its response to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack is now complete,” Savett said. “As the Israelis have stated, their response was a self-defense exercise and specifically avoided populated areas and focused exclusively on military targets, unlike Iran’s attack against Israel which targeted Israel’s most populous city. We refer you to the Israeli authorities for more information on their operation. The United States did not participate in this operation. Our goal is to accelerate diplomacy and reduce tensions in the Middle East region. We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation.”