WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and discussed Israel’s plans for a potential retaliatory strike on Iran, as Israel weighs its response to last week’s missile attack by Iran.
The White House said that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Netanyahu. “This morning, President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel. Vice President Harris also joined the call,” the White House said in a statement, adding a readout would be released later.
The call was the leaders’ first known chat since August and coincided with a sharp escalation of Israel’s conflict with both Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group with no sign of an imminent ceasefire to end the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
The discussion came after a missile attack from Tehran on Israel last week, which was described by Washington as ineffective. However, Netanyahu has vowed that Iran would face consequences for the strike.
Israel has been discussing how to retaliate to the Iranian missile barrage from October 1, which the United States helped to fend off. Biden last week said he would not support a retaliatory Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program.
Biden urged Israel to consider alternatives to hitting Iran’s oil sector. Such a strike could affect the global oil market and boost pump prices, developments that would not help Harris’ efforts to win over the shrinking number of undecided voters.
Tehran has warned that any Israeli retaliation would lead to widespread destruction, raising concerns about a broader regional conflict, which could potentially involve the United States.
The Middle East has remained on edge, with fears of further escalation after Israel ramped up its military actions in Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in clashes since October 2023, following Hamas’s unprecedented assault on southern Israel.
The phone call came amid growing unease in Washington about Israel’s actions. In recent weeks, US officials have reportedly been caught off guard by several Israeli military moves, including the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other operations in Lebanon.
The Israeli military’s plans to respond to Iran’s missile attack have been slow to materialize, leaving Washington keen to influence Israel’s course of action. A senior US official said that Washington aims to ensure Israel’s response remains measured, especially given the broader implications for regional security.
The ongoing conflict has placed the Biden administration under scrutiny, both internationally and domestically. President Biden has faced sharp criticism from allies and members of his own Democratic Party for not leveraging the US position as Israel’s primary arms supplier to restrain Netanyahu’s military actions, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, over 42,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli bombardment campaign in Gaza since October 7 last year. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 Lebanese citizens have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Lebanese officials.
The White House has called for restraint, urging Israel to consider alternatives to attacking Iranian oil fields. Last week, Biden had made clear his reluctance to support strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
Biden told reporters last week that he did not know whether Netanyahu was holding up a Middle East peace deal to influence the outcome of the US election.
“No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that,” he said, referring to the Israeli leader by his nickname. “And whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.”
