Israel had vowed to delay Iran attack until after Passover but didn’t
According to a senior US official speaking anonymously to Middle East Eye, Israel did not inform the US about its plans for strikes in Iran on Thursday.
The official revealed that Israel had previously assured its closest ally that any response to Iran’s recent attacks would occur after the Passover holiday, which spans from 22 April to 30 April.
Israel’s overnight attack on Iran appeared to be limited in scope, potentially designed to avoid further escalation.
Speaking to reporters on the Italian island of Capri, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken refused to answer questions about the attacks on Iran.
“I’m not going to speak to that [the attacks on Iran] except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations,” he said.
“The United States, along with our partners, will continue to work for de-escalation,” he added.
Earlier on Friday, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters that the US was only informed by Israel of the attack at the “last minute”.
“There was no sharing of the attack by the US. It was a mere information,” he added.