Tehran warned over the weekend that it held the United States responsible for any retaliatory strike against Iran after US President Joe Biden acknowledged that he knew of the IDF’s plans.
“Anybody with knowledge or understanding of ‘how and when Israel was going to attack Iran,’ and/or providing the means and backing for such folly, should logically be held accountable for any possible causality,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X/Twitter early Saturday morning.
Anybody with knowledge or understanding of "how and when Israel was going to attack Iran", and/or providing the means and backing for such folly, should logically be held accountable for any possible causality.https://t.co/aLyJDw1NGp
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) October 18, 2024
On Friday evening before departing Germany, Biden had been asked by a reporter about the IDF’s plans to retaliate against Iran for its October 1 ballistic attack against Israel.
“Do you have a good understanding right now what Israel is going to do in response to Iran’s October 1st attacks and when they will actually respond to Iran?” the reporter asked.
“Yes and yes,” Biden said.
“Can you tell us?” the reporter pressed.
“No and no,” Biden retorted.
But he indicated that it was possible an agreement could be reached that would end the violent conflict between Israel and Iran as well as its proxy group, Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“There’s an opportunity, in my view, and my colleagues agreed, that we can probably deal to the – Israel and Iran in a way that is – ends the conflict for a while,” the president said.
He clarified that he was speaking of a step that “ends the conflict. In other words, that stops the back and forth. We think that there’s a possibility of working to a ceasefire in Lebanon.”
While in Berlin, Biden met with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Foreign leaders condemn Iran's attack
In a joint statement, the four leaders condemned “Iran’s escalatory attack on Israel and [they] coordinated efforts to hold Iran accountable and prevent further escalation.”
They “discussed the situation in Lebanon and agreed on the need to work towards full implementation of UNSCR 1701,” referring to the resolution that set the ceasefire terms ending the Second Lebanon War in 2006. This included a directive that Hezbollah cannot operate in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border.
The four leaders also called for “a diplomatic resolution” to the IDF-Hezbollah war, explaining that it had to be one “that allows civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return safely home.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant updated US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Saturday on the progress the IDF has made against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“The minister detailed the troops’ achievements in identifying and eliminating Hezbollah’s attack infrastructure in the border area, including the most recent destruction of Radwan Forces’ tunnel infrastructure and command and control centers,” his office said.
He also discussed with Austin the IDF’s precision strikes against Hezbollah in Beirut.
“Minister Gallant emphasized the purpose of these sites in southern Lebanon: launchpads for October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities – which Israel will not allow,” his office explained.
Gallant assured Austin that the IDF was not targeting Lebanese civilians or the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
“The Minister and Secretary also discussed ongoing cooperation and defensive posture of both Israeli and U.S. capabilities in the face of threats posed by Iran and its proxies in Yemen, Syria and Iraq,” the Defense Ministry said.
Iran and Hezbollah continued to threaten Israel on Saturday, with Hezbollah launching a drone that appeared to target Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea.
During a visit to Turkey on Thursday, Araghchi warned of regional war, according to comments carried by the Iranian state news website Press TV.
“The region has turned into a powder keg, which can put the world in grave danger, and the possibility of war is still high – and no one wants this except the Zionist regime, but we are ready for any scenario,” Araghchi said.
He spoke after meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, stating, “Both of our countries believe that the genocide in Gaza and the crimes in Lebanon must stop immediately, and all Islamic countries must use all their capacities to stop Israel.
“The Zionist regime is the most important source of insecurity in the world, and the international mechanisms have not been able to hinder these crimes, and the US support has made the leaders of the Zionist regime and Netanyahu bolder,” he said, according to Press TV.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he saw chances for finding a solution to the conflict in the Middle East, as escalation was in no one’s interest.
He said he hoped an escalation of the hostilities could be avoided, but did not specify how.
Putin was speaking at a briefing with journalists, where he also said Russia was willing to help seek compromises between Iran and Israel if both parties wanted it to.
On Saturday, naval drills hosted by Iran with the participation of Russia and Oman – and observed by nine other countries – began in the Indian Ocean, Iran’s state TV said.
The exercises, dubbed “IMEX 2024,” are aimed at boosting “collective security in the region, expand multilateral cooperation, and display the goodwill and capabilities to safeguard peace, friendship and maritime security,” Press TV said.
Participants would practice tactics to ensure international maritime trade security, protect maritime routes, enhance humanitarian measures, and exchange information on rescue and relief operations, it said.
The exercises coincide with heightened tensions in the region as Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza rages and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels retaliate by launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
In response to regional tensions with the United States, Iran has increased its military cooperation with Russia and China.
In March, Tehran, Moscow and Beijing held their fifth joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman. Countries observing the current drills include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand.
Reuters contributed to this report.