U.S.: "We heard Israel’s attack plan and struck Iran"

'Did Netanyahu drag the U.S. into a war?' Fallout

The United States’ decision to launch a surprise attack on Iran on the 28th of last month appears to have been driven by the fact that Israel had moved first to strike Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met reporters after briefing lawmakers on the Iran operation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on the 2nd (local time), explaining the rationale for the strike by saying, "We were aware of Israel’s military action." He added, "That would trigger attacks on U.S. forces, and if we did not act preemptively before they began their assault, it was a situation in which there would have been more casualties."

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson also cited as context for the airstrikes that "Israel decided to act to defend itself regardless of whether the United States would support it." The U.S. had been monitoring the timing of a strike on Iran since January, but Israel’s decision is said to have been the primary factor behind the surprise attack on Iran on the 28th of last month. As this can be interpreted as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu effectively drawing the United States into a war with Iran, the fallout is expected to be significant.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a video posted after the airstrikes that Iran had been "trying to rebuild its nuclear program and continue developing long-range missiles" as the rationale for the attack.

He claimed, "These missiles could threaten our cherished friends and allies in Europe and U.S. forces stationed overseas, and could soon reach the U.S. homeland." He added, "Imagine how much bolder this regime would become if it possesses nuclear weapons and is actually able to use them to send its message."

Washington=Lee Sang-eun, Correspondent selee@hankyung.com