US won't assist Ukraine in shooting down Iranian drones
The US will not shoot down Iranian drones in Ukraine, as they did with allies during Iran's attack on Israel, the Coordinator for Strategic Communications of the National Security Council, John Kirby, reported during the briefing.
"I knew this question would come up. Listen, we're talking about different conflicts, different airspace, different threat landscapes," Kirby said.
From the very beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden made it clear that the US does not plan to engage in combat operations in Ukraine, he said.
"We are providing Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend its airspace. And unfortunately, as of today, we cannot do that because we do not have additional funding for national security that Ukraine so desperately needs," Kirby added.
Read also: Bipartisan consensus reached on Israel and Ukraine aid package
Iran's mass attack on Israel
Israel and the US have been preparing over the past few days for Iran to attack Israel in response to a strike on the Iranian consulate in Syria, which Iranians blame on Israelis. Senior IRGC officials were killed during the strike.
Iran began the expected attack by launching hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel late on April 13.
Iran launched about 350 missiles and drones at Israel during the mass attack on April 13, carrying a total of 60 tons of explosives, Israel Defense Forces reported.
The attack could have caused enormous damage, but only a few Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli territory, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagar said.
The IDF reported shooting down 99% of Iranian missiles and drones.
Partners assisted Israel in repelling the attack, during which Iran launched over 70 UAVs and three ballistic missiles against Israel that the US intercepted, CNN reported.
Iran's attack on Israel is similar to those Russia has repeatedly carried out against Ukraine, trying to determine the optimal way to break through Western-style air and missile defense, The Institute for the Study of War said.
Read also: Zelenskyy draws parallels between Iranian and Russian tactics in recent attacks
Several Iranian airports, including Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, canceled all flights until April 15 after the attack on Israel. Iran also warned neighboring countries about Israel's response 72 hours before the attack.
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