Kirby calls Israel defense against Iran ‘an incredible military achievement’

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby on Sunday applauded Israel’s ability to intercept most of Iran’s missile attacks over the weekend, calling it “an incredible military achievement.”

“What Israel demonstrated last night was an incredible ability to defend itself. Just their own military superiority was quite remarkable yesterday. I mean, very little got through, and the damage was extraordinarily light,” Kirby said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Israel on Saturday. The move was largely expected in retaliation for an alleged Israeli strike earlier this month that hit the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, and killed two senior IRGC officers. 

Israel on Saturday night said the country’s air defenses successfully intercepted the “vast majority” of the surface-to-surface missiles approaching Israeli territory. The nation’s allies, including U.S. forces and Jordan’s Air Force, helped to intercept the missiles and drones.

When asked if he believed the attacks could prompt a wider regional conflict, Kirby said, “The president doesn’t believe that it needs to move in that direction whatsoever.”

“Also, Israel demonstrated again, as I said, that they’re not standing alone, that they have friends. So the president’s been clear,” he continued. “We don’t want to see this escalate. We’re not looking for a wider war with Iran. I think, you know, the coming hours and days will tell us a lot.”

President Biden is expected to hold a videoconference on Sunday to discuss a diplomatic response.

Kirby noted it will be up to Israel to decide on any counterattack against Iran.

“Whether and how the Israelis respond is going to be up to them. I’m certainly not going to get ahead of their decision-making,” he said, adding later that the Biden administration will “stay in touch” with Israeli counterparts.