President Joe Biden reiterated his purportedly steadfast support for Israel in its Gaza military campaign as well as if Iran launches anticipated retaliatory strikes against the country.
U.S. officials believe Iran will attack Israel sometime in the coming days in retaliation for Israel’s airstrike on a building in Damascus, Syria, that killed two Iranian generals and a member of Hezbollah, multiple outlets, including ABC News, have reported. That the strike happened on a complex Iran claims should have been off limits due to diplomatic custom has increased tensions.
On Wednesday, Biden sought to make clear his commitment to defending Israel.
Iran is “threatening to launch a significant attack on Israel,” Biden claimed during a news conference at a state dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” Biden said, according to Arab News. “Let me say it again — ironclad. We’re going to do all we can to protect Israel’s security.”
Biden also tempered his call from the day before for Israel to declare a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza for a period of six to eight weeks in order for humanitarian relief to reach refugees.
The president put the onus on the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, stating, “It’s now up to Hamas. They need to move on the proposal that has been made [so we can] get these hostages home where they belong. It also brings back a six-week ceasefire that we need now.”
The move puts added pressure on Hamas after the group’s exiled leader, Ismail Haniyeh, just last week lost three of his sons to Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza, per The New York Times.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that a definite date for a ground invasion of Rafah, the southern Gaza city where many thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge, has already been decided, further complicating matters in Congress.
Biden’s professed commitment to Israel follows some speculation in Washington that he might consider putting conditions on military aid to the country many consider America’s greatest ally after last week’s deadly strike on an aid convoy.
Still, some on the right remain unconvinced that Biden is willing to go all-in on defending Israel.
That view was expressed by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), who posted on X, “This should come as a shock to no one, but Iran is threatening Israel because they smell weakness from the Biden administration. Iran wants escalation because they fear no consequences. Until this changes, the U.S. and our allies can only expect more aggression from Iran.”
