Netanyahu receives Biden's final warning as Israel freezes in anticipation of Iranian attack
US President Joe Biden warned the head of the Israeli military cabinet, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel risks being left without US help if it takes a step toward escalation in the Middle East, writes the American publication Axios.
According to the publication, Biden, in a private conversation, "strongly demanded" that the Israeli Prime Minister stop escalating tensions in the region and immediately move toward an agreement on the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.
According to the same reports, Biden and his top aides are deeply disappointed by the aftermath of the killings in Beirut and Tehran , which occurred less than a week after Netanyahu's first visit to the White House Oval Office in four years.
“American officials do not mourn the death of Hezbollah's top military commander, Fuad Shukr, who was involved in the killing of 241 US Marines in Beirut in 1983, or of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who celebrated the October 7 massacre. But they believe Netanyahu kept Biden in the dark about his plans to carry out the killings after appearing last week to heed the president's request to focus on reaching a Gaza deal.
US officials said Biden called Netanyahu to discuss joint US-Israeli military preparations for retaliation from Iran and Hezbollah, and to make clear his dissatisfaction with the direction the Israeli prime minister had taken over the past week.
The US President told the Israeli Prime Minister that the States would help Israel repel the Iranian attack, but after that they did not expect further escalation on the Israeli side, but, on the contrary, hoped for immediate movement towards an agreement on the release of the hostages.
Biden also warned Netanyahu that if he escalates again, he shouldn't count on US assistance. The White House declined to comment on the matter. However, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued the following statement:
“Prime Minister Netanyahu told President Biden that he appreciates American support, however, as Prime Minister of Israel, he acts solely in accordance with the security needs of the State of Israel.”
Axios also writes that the Biden administration is concerned that this time it may be more difficult to mobilize the same international and regional coalition of countries that defended Israel from the previous Iranian attack.
As we know, in April, several Arab countries, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, either helped shoot down Iranian and Houthi drones or allowed the US and Israel to use their airspace to intercept threats.
The Wall Street Journal is also confident that a new Iranian attack could be more unexpected and severe for Israel than the April one. However, the publication adds, Tehran is still weighing how to respond to the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
Israel and the US are bracing for Iranian retaliation as early as this weekend as Tehran blocks diplomatic efforts that try to prevent a regional war in the Middle East.
Israel said Friday its military was on high alert as U.S. officials worked to prepare military assets and regional partners to stop the attack.
This time, Israel and its allies are operating in a vacuum , the newspaper notes. American and Arab diplomats, trying to stem the spiral of violence, are faced with angry silence from Iran and its Lebanese ally.
An Iranian diplomat, informed by his country's government, said that attempts by various countries to convince Tehran not to resort to escalation have been and will be ineffective, the newspaper writes.
According to Arab sources, Hezbollah has indicated that its response may not be a single attack, but a series of actions.
Some are concerned that the attack could involve not only Iran and Hezbollah, but also other affiliated regional militias such as Yemen's Houthis and militants in Iraq.
Arab officials said they conveyed a warning to Iran on behalf of Israel and the United States that Israel was prepared to go to war if Hezbollah and Iran responded too aggressively, such as by attacking Tel Aviv or deeper into Israel.
Iranian officials responded that they understood the risk of escalation, but Rahbar Khamenei was under internal pressure from hardliners to respond.
English version :: Read in English Netanyahu received "Biden's final warning," while Israel froze in anticipation of an Iranian attack