April 14, 2024 - Iran's attack on Israel

US President Joe Biden is meeting with fellow G7 leaders Sunday to discuss what he calls an "urgent diplomatic response" to Iran's attack on Israel.

Italy, the current president of the G7, said the virtual talks would begin at 10 a.m. ET. Officials were seen arriving to the White House ahead of the expected start of the talks. The emphasis on diplomacy makes clear Biden is seeking a non-military response to the drone and missile attacks launched by Iran, seeking ways to contain the risk of a wider war.

Biden made clear in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu late Saturday that the United States would not participate in an offensive operation against Iran, encouraging his counterpart instead to view the successful interception of the Iranian weapons as a win.

European Council President Charles Michel posted a photo to X from the talks. It shows Biden in the Situation Room with top aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mideast coordinator Brett McGurk, and chief of staff Jeff Zients.

Michel said the G7 group "unanimously condemned Iran’s unprecedented attack against Israel. All parties must exercise restraint. We will continue all our efforts to work towards de-escalation. Ending the crisis in Gaza as soon as possible, notably through an immediate ceasefire, will make a difference."

Some context: The G7 is shorthand for Group of Seven, an organization of leaders from some of the world’s largest economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Members of the G7 meet each year for a summit to discuss pressing issues on the global stage and coordinate policy. The European Union also takes part in its meetings.

The post was updated with details from Charles Michel's social media post.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Saturday that the GOP-led House should move on the bipartisan Senate-passed national security aid package which includes funding for Israel in the wake of the Iranian attack.

This puts Schumer and Johnson at odds about the next steps for Israel funding. Johnson said on Sunday that lawmakers will try this week to pass additional aid to Israel with the details of the package not yet finalized.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said lawmakers will try this week to pass additional aid to Israel, but the details are not yet finalized.

The Speaker added that he was glad the US “showed resolve” in response to the Iranian strikes on Israel. 

“Look, I do think that we showed resolve last night thankfully. Many of us were concerned about that to stand with our ally Israel. It's critically important to do that. We took down most of those drones and missiles, as you noted, and our other allies stepped up as well,” he said.

A decades-long shadow war burst out into the open overnight as Iranian drones and missiles lit up the night sky in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

Tehran’s operation was highly choreographed, apparently designed to minimize casualties while maximizing spectacle.

This was a complex mission. Over 200 drones and missiles navigated above Iran’s neighbors, including Jordan and Iraq — both with US military bases — before penetrating the airspace of Iran’s mortal enemy, Israel. Israel’s allies helped shoot down the bulk of these weapons, but couldn’t prevent what was long believed to be the Middle East’s doomsday scenario, the Islamic Republic’s first-ever attack on Israel.

Israel’s fabled Iron Dome air defense system did not disappoint Israelis, many of whom took to bunkers. Only a small handful of locations were attacked, including a military base and an area in the Negev desert, injuring a Bedouin child, while the dome fended off one of the largest drone attacks in history

Yet it was an operation that seemed designed to fail — when Iran launched its killer drones from its own territory some 1,000 miles away, it was giving Israel hours of advance notice.

The symbolism of the attack did the heavy lifting. Rather than fire from one of the neighboring countries where Iran and its non-state allies are present, this was a direct attack from Iranian territory on Israeli territory. This compromised Iran’s ability to damage Israel because it robbed the operation of the element of surprise.

Yet for some four hours, the world held its breath as weapons whizzed through the night sky. They were balls of fire hovering overhead as onlookers across three different countries filmed images that seemed to harken the start of a cataclysmic war.

Read more about Iran's planned attack.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has condemned Iran's attack against Israel and is calling for "restraint."

Sen. John Fetterman said Iran’s attack on Israel “demonstrates how astonishing” it is the United States is not standing firmly and unconditionally with Israel.

The Democratic senator from Pennsylvania also said he would “never understand” his colleagues who are trying to pass Israel aid without also sending aid to Ukraine.

“All I can conclude is that aligns with what Donald Trump says... I don't understand why Donald Trump seems to love (Russian President Vladimir) Putin as well too, but it's a disgrace if we don't deliver this aid. I voted for it and we need to deliver that and stand with our allies and stand with democracy,” he said.

Israel will “exact a price from Iran in a way and time that suits us,” war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Sunday, following the Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel.

Iran “met the strength of the Israeli security system,” Gantz said, a reference to the minimal damage caused by the assault involving hundreds of projectiles.

But, he added, “this event is not over,” citing the need to “build a regional coalition and extract a price from Iran, in a way and at a time that suits us.”

Gantz also said that Israel still needs to bring home its hostages and secure its southern and northern borders so that people who have evacuated their homes near these borders can return.

Nir Cohen contributed translations to this post.

Pope Francis has urged regional leaders to avoid further escalations in the Middle East, and called on all nations to “take the side of peace.”

Francis also called for a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians. 

The sound of drones must serve as a "wake-up call to the free world," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday after Iran launched an unprecedented large-scale drone and missile attack at Israel on Saturday night.

"This sound must serve as a wake-up call to the free world, demonstrating that only our unity and resoluteness can save lives and prevent the spread of terror worldwide," he said.

Zelensky went on to say that Iran's actions "threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia's actions threaten a larger conflict," and that "the obvious collaboration between the two regimes in spreading terror must face a resolute and united response from the world."

"Words do not stop drones and do not intercept missiles. Only tangible assistance does," Zelensky said. "It is critical that the United States Congress make the necessary decisions to strengthen America's allies at this critical time," he added.