National Security Council spokesman John Kirby heartily disputed reports Monday suggesting that Iran had planned its weekend strikes against Israel to “fail.”
Israel and the United States shot down more than 99% of the roughly 300 drones and missiles Iran launched against Israel on Saturday, according to Kirby, calling the attack a “spectacular and embarrassing failure” for Iran.
“I’ve also seen reports say that they provided early warning to help Israel prepare its defenses and limit any potential damage,” he continued during Monday’s White House press briefing. “All of this is categorically false. To coin the phrase from the president — steal a phrase from the president — it’s malarkey.”
Kirby claimed that Iran intended to cause “significant destruction and casualties” and den …