WASHINGTON: The White House on Monday warned that Iran could launch a “significant” attack on Israel as soon as this week, as the United States President Joe Biden discussed the Middle East crisis with European leaders.
Talking to reporters, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed the urgency of preparing for potential large-scale assaults.
“We have to be prepared for what could be a significant set of attacks,” Kirby said. “We share the same concerns and expectations that our Israeli counterparts have with respect to potential timing here — it could be this week.”
In response to the escalating situation, the United States is deploying an aircraft carrier strike group and a guided missile submarine to the region, demonstrating a strong show of support for Israel. This move underscores the growing alarm over the possibility of conflict intensifying further.
The heightened tensions come after Israeli strikes in Tehran and Beirut. Iran, along with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, has vowed retaliation following the killings of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on July 31, an attack Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for, but which has been attributed to Israeli actions.
US President Joe Biden held discussions with European leaders from France, Germany, Italy, and Britain on Monday. The call focused on reaffirming support for Israel and sending a unified message against any potential rise in violence or attacks by Iran and its proxies.
The leaders also discussed the urgent need for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, with critical talks scheduled for Thursday to address the conflict.
The call came shortly after Biden returned to the Oval Office after a long weekend at his beach house in Delaware.
Earlier, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an aircraft carrier group to hasten its arrival in the Middle East, the Pentagon said Sunday. Austin also ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the area, a Pentagon spokesman said.
Meanwhile, international pressure intensified on Monday for a ceasefire in Gaza, with Britain, France and Germany issuing a joint plea for an end to Israeli bombardment with “no further delay”.
Since October 7, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 39,897 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to a new toll from the territory’s health ministry.
In a joint statement, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanded an urgent end to the ongoing Israeli bombardment, emphasizing the critical need for unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“The fighting must end now, and all hostages still detained by Hamas must be released,” the leaders stated. “The people of Gaza need urgent and unfettered delivery and distribution of aid,” it said. “There can be no further delay.”
International mediators have invited Israel and Hamas to resume talks towards a long-sought ceasefire and hostage-release deal, after the Gaza conflict sparked fears of a wider conflict.
Hamas said Sunday it wanted the implementation of a truce plan laid out by Biden on May 31 and later endorsed by the UN Security Council, “rather than going through more negotiation rounds or new proposals”.
Hamas “demands that the mediators present a plan to implement what they proposed to the movement… based on Biden’s vision and the UN Security Council resolution, and compel the (Israeli) occupation to comply”, it said.
The Palestinian group has criticized ongoing negotiations and urged mediators to enforce Biden’s truce plan rather than pursuing additional rounds of talks.
Biden’s plan, initially unveiled on May 31 and later endorsed by the UN Security Council, proposes a three-phase roadmap aimed at achieving a lasting ceasefire and securing the release of all hostages. The first phase includes a full ceasefire lasting six weeks, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated Gaza areas, and an exchange of hostages.
Subsequent phases focus on the complete release of hostages, negotiations for a permanent end to hostilities, and a comprehensive reconstruction plan for Gaza.
On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Al-Tabieen school, which was sheltering displaced Palestinians, resulted in the deaths of at least 93 people, according to local civil defence reports. Gaza officials confirmed the identification of 75 bodies from this strike.
Hamas in its Sunday statement cited the Israeli “massacre against the displaced at Al-Tabieen school” and “our responsibilities towards our people and their interests” as the reasons for its announcement on the ceasefire plan.
