If you strike back at Iran, you’ll do it alone [Video]

As Israel on Monday weighed its response to Iran’s stunning attacks this weekend, the U.S. is privately telling officials there: If Israel strikes back militarily, it will do so alone.

It’s an unusual message for a close ally that’s spent decades receiving more US military aid than any other country in the world and whose relationship with America is often described as “ironclad.”

But after months of Israel acting on its own in Gaza — and facing tough criticism from the U.S. and other allies that its military operations have gone too far – the Biden administration made clear the U.S. wouldn’t participate in offensive military operations against Iran, fearing a broader war in the Middle East.

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“We believe Israel has freedom of action to protect itself and defend itself,” a senior administration official told reporters shortly after Iran’s attack ended. “That’s a long-standing policy, and that remains.”

When asked by a …