Top Intelligence Republican says U.S. should NOT involve military with Israel counter attacks yet - but warns Biden if he 'fails to step up to the plate' there will be broader conflict with Iran

• House Intel Chair Mike Turner agrees the U.S. should not yet take military action against Iran following attacks against Israel
• ‘I don’t think at this point that the United States should be engaged in military action directly at Iran,’ Rep. Turner told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday
• READ: John Kirby says U.S. told Iran ‘what we would do’ if US troops are targeted

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) agrees the U.S. should not yet get involved in conflict with Iran after it launched hundreds of missiles toward Israel since Saturday.

The Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, however, warned President Joe Biden against waiting too long to ‘step up to the plate’ in the region because it could lead to larger conflict.

He told NBC News host Kristen Welker on Sunday that the Biden administration needs to make it more clear to Iran that there will be grave consequences from the U.S. if they do continue to launch attacks against Israel.

So far Biden and his national security and defense officials have reiterated ‘ironclad’ support for Israel’s defense against attacks. But the administration has distanced itself from involvement in any Israeli counter attacks against Iran.

‘I don’t think at this point that the United States should be engaged in military action directly at Iran,’ Rep. Turner said in his Meet the Press interview.

House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner said Sunday he agrees the U.S. should not yet get involved with military action against Iran following its attacks against Israel over the weekend

Iran and other Middle East proxies launched at least 200 missiles and drone strikes toward Israel since Saturday – most of which were intercepted before making it into Israeli air space

Every day that the Biden administration does not communicate to Iran the consequences of their attacks on Israel, it is becoming more dangerous to U.S. troops and facilities in the Middle East, Turner said.

President Biden’s National Security Spokesman John Kirby, however, said earlier in a Meet the Press interview on Sunday that the U.S. has communicated to Iran ‘what we would do’ if American troops or facilities are targeted.

He reiterated that the U.S. does not plan to get involved with counter attacks against Iran on behalf of ally Israel – but will continue to help defend the Jewish nation.

Amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas terrorists in Gaza, some Republican lawmakers are not pleased with the Biden administration response so far with the escalating conflict and want a direct response to the attacks last night from Iran and its proxies.

‘The president has made it clear: We do not seek a war with Iran. We don’t seek a wider war in the region,’ Kirby told Welker Sunday morning.

‘We are staying vigilant to exactly that potential threat, but we have not seen any attacks on U.S. troops or personnel in the region or our facilities and nothing to report to this morning,’ he said. ‘But we’re going to obviously watch that very, very closely.’

NSC Spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that the U.S. has warned Iran against ‘what we would do’ if American troops are targeted in the Middle East amid escalating conflict in the region

‘I would just say we made it very clear to all parties, including Iran, what we would do, and how we would continue to defend Israel, and also how seriously we would take any potential threat to our personnel and our facilities in the region,’ the NSC spokesperson added.

Turner said on Sunday: ‘I do believe if this administration fails to step up to the plate and understand that we have an escalating conflict – and make it clear to Iran that there are red lines and that the United States will defend Israel and will not allow Iran to become a weapon state – that we will be in a broader conflict and we will have less options.’

‘Their failure to box in Iran and let them understand that there will be consequences make it more dangerous every day,’ the Intelligence Committee Chairman said.

Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles at Israel since Saturday night, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) said.

The vast majority of the strikes were intercepted outside Israel’s airspace. But a small number of the dozens of ground-to-ground Iranian missiles struck inside the nation, wounding a girl and causing damage to a military installation in the south, armed forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said early Sunday.

Turner warned President Joe Biden that ‘if this administration fails to step up to the plate and understand that we have an escalating conflict… we will be in a broader conflict and we will have less options.’ Pictured: Biden returns to the White House on Saturday afternoon amid escalating conflict in the Middle East

President Joe Biden convened with his National Security team in the Situation Room at the White House on Saturday after returning early from his weekend in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Iran said the attacks came in response to a drone strike at the beginning of April in Syria that left 12 Iranians dead, including two top generals.

Biden and his Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin have repeatedly said the U.S. will continue to help Israel defend itself against Iranian attacks, but have said Washington will not get involved in counter attacks.

It comes after Iran warned last week that if the U.S. conducts attacks, their forces will target American personnel and facilities in the region.

Biden had to cut his beach weekend short at his vacation house in Rehoboth, Delaware to address the rising conflict.

The president arrived at the beach on Friday – but returned to Washington, D.C. just 21 hours later to gather with his national security and defense teams.

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