President Biden has vowed to back West Jerusalem amid concerns of Iranian retaliation over the killing of a Hamas political chief
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed “new US military deployments” to help Israel defend against “all threats” during a call on Thursday, according to a White House readout of the conversation. The call followed the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
Biden reaffirmed that the US remains committed to Israel’s security against Iran and its “proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis,” according to the readout.
Haniyeh, the head of the Gaza-based militant group’s political bureau, was killed in the Iranian capital while in town for the inauguration of the country’s new president. Both Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the attack, with the latter claiming that Haniyeh was taken out by a missile strike. West Jerusalem has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
The Biden administration is “convinced” Iran is going to attack Israel within days and is preparing to counter it, Axios reported, citing three US officials. Iran vowed to seek revenge after Haniyeh’s death, sparking concerns that the Middle East will be plunged into all-out war.
During the call, Biden and Netanyahu discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense, “including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive US military deployments.” Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris also joined the call, the White House said.
According to Axios, US officials expect Iranian retaliation to be similar to the April attack, when Tehran launched a series of airstrikes on Israel in response to the bombing of an Iranian consular compound in Syria, which killed seven military personnel, including two generals. However, the revenge this time could be larger in scope and could also involve Hezbollah, according to the outlet.
The Israeli military claimed earlier this week to have “eliminated” senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an airstrike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hinted on Thursday at the militant group’s readiness to strike against Israel.
“We are not talking about separate fronts anymore. This is an open campaign on all fronts, and there is no doubt [the war] has entered a new phase,” Axios cited Nasrallah as saying.
Russia has strongly condemned the assassination of Haniyeh, warning that such actions would further destabilize an already tense situation in the region and undermine attempts to end the hostilities in Gaza.
