Israeli ambassador says US posture in Middle East played role in ‘deterring’ Iran

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog said the U.S.’s “very strong” posture in the Middle East has prompted Iran to hold off on a retaliatory attack against Israel as threats of an all-out war loom over the region.

“I think the Iranians are contemplating an attack on Israel, but decided for now to put it on hold,” Herzog said on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” “And I think the main reason for that was, deter messages from Israel and the U.S., and a very strong U.S. posture in the region, which tells you that you can deter them.”

U.S. forces have been moved in the Central Command region in the Middle East, including about 40,000 U.S. service members. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this month ordered a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft strike group to accelerate its travel to the region amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.

The U.S. and allies have feared an all-out war following the apparent assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut earlier this month.

Iran has reiterated its intention to punish Israel for the death of Haniyeh, for which Israel has yet to take responsibility. Tehran, however, has not yet launched an attack amid weeks of speculation.

Herzog on Sunday maintained Iran is not seeking war.

“However, there is room for miscalculation, and I think part of his regional visit is to make sure that everything is under control,” Herzog said of Joint Chiefs Chair Charles Q. Brown Jr.’s slated visit to Israel on Sunday. “Again, the U.S. posture in the region is very strong; I think [it] played a role in deterring Iran.”

The remarks came hours after Israel launched a series of airstrikes in Lebanon early Sunday in what the country’s military described as a preemptive attack against Hezbollah.

The Iran-backed group last month launched an attack on Israeli military positions in retaliation for the death of Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s most senior military commander, in a strike in Beirut, The Associated Press (AP) reported. He was the right-hand man to the Lebanese militia group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

The exchange of fire marked one of the largest clashes between the Iran-backed group and Israel in the past 10 months, further fueling concerns of an escalation in conflict in the region.

Hezbollah began attacks against Israel shortly after the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily since then, per the AP.

Negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal appeared to collapse last week as Israel and Hamas remain at odds on major issues. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East last week to push negotiations toward the finish line but left without any major agreement in place.