By Jeff Mason, Ahmed Rasheed and Samia Nakhoul
WASHINGTON, BAGHDAD, DUBAI (Reuters) – Turkish, Jordanian and Iraqi officers mentioned on Sunday Iran gave broad discover days earlier than Saturday’s drone and missile assault on Israel permitting mass casualties and rampant escalation to be averted, however a U.S. official denied this.
Many of the a whole lot of drones and missiles launched by Iran in a retaliatory strike had been downed earlier than reaching Israeli territory, although a younger lady was critically injured and the area stays braced for additional escalation.
Iran’s Overseas Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian mentioned on Sunday Iran had given neighbouring international locations and Israel’s ally the US 72 hours’ discover it might launch the strikes, a transfer that will have enabled them to largely thwart the assault.
Turkey’s Overseas Ministry mentioned it had spoken to each Washington and Tehran earlier than the assault, including it had conveyed messages as an middleman to make sure reactions had been proportionate.
“Iran mentioned the response can be a response to Israel’s assault on its embassy in Damascus and that it might not transcend this. We had been conscious of the chances. The developments weren’t a shock,” mentioned a Turkish diplomatic supply.
Nonetheless, a senior official within the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden denied Amirabdollahian’s assertion, saying Washington had had contact with Iran via Swiss intermediaries however didn’t get 72 hours’ discover.
“That’s completely not true,” the official mentioned. “They didn’t give a notification, nor did they offer any sense of … ‘these would be the targets, so evacuate them.'”
Tehran despatched the US a message solely after the strikes started, and the intent was to be “extremely harmful” mentioned the official, speculating that Iran was saying it had given discover with the intention to cowl embarrassment on the assault’s failure.
“We acquired a message from the Iranians as this was ongoing, via the Swiss. This was principally suggesting that they had been completed after this, but it surely was nonetheless an ongoing assault. In order that was (their) message to us,” the U.S. official mentioned.
Nonetheless, Iraqi, Turkish and Jordanian officers every mentioned Iran had supplied early warning of the assault final week, together with some particulars.
The assault with drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles risked inflicting horrible casualties and triggering large Israeli and U.S. retaliation that might have spiralled right into a regional conflagration.
U.S. officers mentioned on Friday and Saturday they anticipated an imminent assault and urged Iran in opposition to one, with Biden tersely saying his solely message to Tehran was: “Do not.”
ESCALATION
Two Iraqi sources, together with a authorities safety adviser and a safety official, mentioned Iran had used diplomatic channels to tell Baghdad concerning the assault no less than three days earlier than it occurred.
The precise timing of the assault was not disclosed at that time, however was handed to Iraqi safety and navy authorities hours earlier than the strikes, permitting Baghdad to shut its airspace and keep away from deadly accidents.
“The federal government clearly understood from the Iranian officers that the U.S. navy in Iraq was additionally conscious of the assault upfront,” mentioned the Iraqi safety official.
A senior Jordanian official mentioned Iran had summoned Arab envoys in Tehran on Wednesday to tell them of their intention to hold out an assault, although it didn’t specify the timing.
Requested if Iran had additionally given particulars concerning the targets and sort of weapons for use, the Jordanian supply didn’t reply immediately however gave a sign that that was the case.
An Iranian supply briefed on the matter mentioned Iran had knowledgeable the U.S. via diplomatic channels that included Qatar, Turkey and Switzerland concerning the scheduled day of the assault, assuring it might be performed in a fashion to keep away from upsetting a response.
How far escalation could be averted stays in query. Biden has informed Israel the US is not going to be a part of any Israeli retaliation, the U.S. official mentioned.
Nonetheless, Israel remains to be weighing its response and can “precise the worth from Iran within the style and timing that’s proper for us”, Israeli minister Benny Gantz mentioned on Sunday.