Washington | WTNS | April 14:US President Joe Biden has told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States will not engage in any counterattack against Iran, according to a senior US administration official.

The comments were relayed during a phone call with Netanyahu on Saturday, in the wake of Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched “extensive” retaliatory missile and drone strikes against the occupied territories on Saturday night local time, in response to the Israeli regime’s terrorist attack of April 1 against the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic premises in the Syrian capital Damascus.

During the conversation, Biden made it clear that the US will not be involved in any offensive actions against Iran and Netanyahu reportedly accepted this stance, according to the official.

The White House official said that Biden and his senior advisors are highly concerned that an Israeli retaliation to Iran’s strike on Israel could escalate into a widespread conflict with devastating outcomes.

The US military deployed aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region in the past week, assisting Israel in thwarting incoming drones and missiles from Iran, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, Biden said in a statement after the call.

Biden will hold a call with the G7 leaders on Sunday to discuss and “coordinate a united diplomatic response” to Iran’s attack, according to a statement released by the White House.

Moreover, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken in a statement said that the US does “not seek escalation” but will “continue to support” Israel’s defense and defend US personnel.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin also said that US forces helped intercept dozens of Iranian drones and missiles launched against Israel from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

“We do not seek conflict with Iran, but we will not hesitate to act to protect our forces and support the defense of Israel,” Austin said in a statement.