Tehran [Iran], June 14: A US official said Washington was 'supporting' Israel in defending against missile attacks, after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel's June 13 attack.
"I can confirm that the United States is assisting in shooting down missiles aimed at Israel ," the US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. There were no details on the extent of the US role in assisting Israel in countering missiles launched by Iran .
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on June 12 that the US "did not participate" in the attacks and warned Iran not to retaliate against any US forces in the region.
However, US President Donald Trump wrote on the social network Truth Social that Israel acted because the 60-day deadline he set for Iran had expired, implying that the two sides had acted together, according to AFP.
Israel attacked Iran just hours after President Trump publicly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call off the attack. Trump later told Fox News that he knew about the Israeli airstrikes before they happened and stressed that Tehran "should not be allowed to have a nuclear bomb."
Mr. Trump and Mr. Netanyahu had a phone call on June 13, according to AFP, citing a US official. Previously, Mr. Trump said that Israel had informed him in advance about the attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and senior military officers.
President Trump on June 13 urged Iran to make a deal or face "even more brutal" Israeli attacks, according to AFP. However, Mr. Trump also left the door open to negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program, as he tries to avoid being drawn into a war in his second term. Mr. Trump had said he had "no war" in his first term.
There was no immediate response from Iran to Trump's warning. A senior Iranian official told CNN that Tehran would target the military bases of any country that tries to protect Israel.
"According to international law, Iran has the right to respond decisively to this regime. Any country that tries to protect this regime from Iranian activities... their bases and positions in the region will become new targets," the Iranian official stressed.
Meanwhile, Iran International news site reported that Iranian air defenses were trying to intercept Israeli airstrikes in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, according to AFP. Iran International also posted footage of Iranian air defenses being activated over the city of Isfahan.
Separately, Iran's ISNA news agency shared a video showing thick plumes of smoke rising from the airport area in western Tehran while Mehr news agency reported an "explosion" there.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
