Operation Rising Lion: US distances itself from Israeli strikes, warns Tehran against targeting its military assets in Middle East

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington played no role in Israel’s military strikes on Iran, warning Tehran not to retaliate against American forces. His remarks came shortly after Israeli warplanes launched a series of attacks on Iranian military leadership and also nuclear and missile facilities, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

President Donald Trump, speaking just hours before the Israeli operation, made clear he was opposed to any escalation. “I don’t want them going in because, I mean, that would blow it,” he said, referring to his administration’s ongoing efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Tehran. Trump, who has been pressing for a nuclear deal with Iran, was attending the White House summer picnic when reports of the strikes began to emerge.

The assault, described by Israeli officials as a defensive operation, appears to have gone ahead despite Trump’s personal appeals to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the week. US officials said the president had urged Israel to refrain from any military action that could derail delicate negotiations with Iran. The episode also lays bare tensions between Trump and Netanyahu, long seen as close political allies.

In the days leading up to the strikes, the US had taken precautionary steps in the region. American diplomats were withdrawn from neighbouring Iraq, and the voluntary departure of family members of military personnel was authorised. The US maintains a significant military presence in the region, with air bases and naval facilities across Qatar, Bahrain and other Gulf states, all within striking distance of Iran.

Iran’s defence minister warned earlier this week that any conflict with the United States would result in attacks on American military installations across the Middle East. Despite growing tensions and intelligence indicating that an Israeli operation was imminent, Trump’s administration appears to have been sidelined.

Following the strikes, Rubio released a terse statement asserting that the United States had no involvement. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” the White House-distributed statement read.

He added that Israel considered the attacks essential for its security, and that Washington remained in contact with regional allies. “Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel,” he said. Notably absent from Rubio’s statement was any expression of support for the Israeli operation. 

The Democratic leadership was quick to condemn the Israeli airstrikes. Senator Chris Murphy, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Israel of attempting to sabotage Trump’s diplomatic outreach. “Israel’s attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump administration’s negotiations with Iran, risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America,” he said.

The Israeli action also came under fire from Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who called it a reckless escalation. “These strikes threaten not only the lives of innocent civilians, but the stability of the entire Middle East,” he said.

Netanyahu, in a televised address, justified the strikes as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponisation programme,” he declared. “We targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile programme.”

A key question now is whether the US will step in to support Israel should Iran launch a retaliatory strike. Rubio avoided addressing this directly, reiterating instead that Washington’s priority was safeguarding its own forces. Some of Trump’s allies are urging caution, with calls growing for the US to stay out of a direct military entanglement.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, meanwhile, struck a more hawkish tone. In a social media post, he warned, “America should have an overwhelming response if American personnel or installations are targeted. He said the US should destroy “all of Iran’s oil refineries and oil infrastructure and put the ayatollah and his henchmen out of the oil business.”