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White House National Security Coordinator John Kirby said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “well aware” that President Biden does not want to see an escalation in the Middle East that leads to a broader war.

Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Kirby said, “I would say that the Prime Minister is well aware that the President is not looking for a conflict with Iran, that the President doesn’t want the tensions to escalate anymore, and that the President is doing everything and has since the seventh of October, to try to keep this from becoming a broader regional war.”

Kirby also noted the strategic military preparations made by the US that contributed to the defense efforts. He explained that President Biden had recently moved to enhance the military presence in strategic locations. Direct Quote: “I mean, one of the reasons we were able to help the Israelis knocked down so many of these missiles and drones because the President made decisions in recent days to preposition additional ships in the eastern Mediterranean and an extra fighter squadron in the region that literally had a huge impact on last night … to prevent a greater sense of destruction inside Israel.”

Following the attack, President Biden spoke with Netanyahu, commending Israel’s defense measures, which effectively minimized the potential for mass casualties and destruction.