Blinken Cautions Against Hasty Retaliation by Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to American Jewish leaders on Tuesday and advised them that further escalation with Iran is not in the best interest of the U.S. or Israel, Axios reported.

According to three people who attended the meeting, the Biden administration and other Western allies are strongly urging Israel to not jump too hastily into a retaliation against Iran that could lead to a larger regional war.

"We think it will be very hard to replicate the huge success we had on Saturday with defeating the attack if Iran launches hundreds of missiles and drones again — and the Israelis know it," a U.S. official told Axios.

Iran on Saturday launched a wave of drone attacks in retaliation for the killing Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a top Iranian Quds Force general in charge of Iran's military operations in Lebanon and Syria along with five other IRGC officials on April 1.

In response, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed revenge and marked the first time Iran attacked Israel directly without the use of proxies.

In coordination with the U.S. and regional partners, Israel had a 99% success rate in intercepting Iranian drones and missiles. An official who attended the meeting said Blinken emphasized that retaliation was Israel's decision, but that "his message was to be smart, strategic and limited as possible."

While the U.S. is urging restraint, Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his U.S. counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, that an Israeli response is inevitable. Speaking on Sunday, Gallant reportedly told Austin that permitting a large-scale attack to go unanswered would signal to Iran that it can attack Israel whenever it hits targets in Syria.

Blinken told the group that Jordan and Saudi Arabia aided in the defensive effort against Iran and that alliance remains important and creates opportunities for the future, an attendee said to Axios.

"Strength and wisdom are two sides of the same coin," Blinken is said to have told those in attendance.

According to Iranian state news agency IRNA, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi assured Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Iran doesn't seek further escalation.

"We will respond to any action against Iran's interests more fiercely, extensively and painfully than before," Raisi said, according to IRNA.