Washington, DC – US President Joe Biden reaffirmed his “ironclad” support for Israel in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said, amid escalating violence in Gaza and Lebanon.
The call between the two leaders Wednesday lasted 30 minutes and was their first publicly announced conversation since August.
The White House said in a statement that Vice President Kamala Harris, a candidate to succeed Biden in next month’s U.S. presidential election, had joined the call.
“The president affirmed his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” the statement added. “He unequivocally condemned Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1.”
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre previously described the talks as “direct” and “productive.”
The call comes as Israel considers an attack on Iran in response to Iranian ballistic missile launches that targeted Israeli military sites last week.
Jean-Pierre said Biden and Netanyahu had “discussions” about confronting Iran, without providing further details.
Iran last week fired a barrage of missiles at Israeli bases in an attack it said was in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the assassinations in Beirut of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and an Iranian general.
The US administration pledged to ensure that Iran would face “serious consequences” as a result of the attack.
Asked after the missile launches whether he would support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Biden replied: “The answer is no.” »
The US president also suggested that Washington oppose bombing of Iranian oil fields.
“The Israelis have not yet decided what they are going to do. It’s under discussion,” he told reporters on Friday.
“If I were in their place, I would think about alternatives other than striking Iranian oil fields. »
Such an attack would send oil prices skyrocketing across the world, which could prove costly for Harris ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
The United States has provided unconditional military and diplomatic support to Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war – a policy Harris has promised to maintain.
While Washington has warned of an expansion of the war, the Biden administration says it supports the Israeli offensive in Lebanon, which has killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than a million others.
He also supported Israel’s ground invasion of the south of the country.
The White House said Wednesday that Biden, during his call with Netanyahu, stressed the need for a “diplomatic solution” to the crisis in Lebanon. Biden also expressed concern for Lebanese civilians, the statement said.
“The president affirmed Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians , especially in densely populated areas of Beirut. » he said.
But on Tuesday, the US State Department suggested that Washington was no longer seeking a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah because the Lebanese group was “in retreat”.
The same day, Netanyahu warned the Lebanese people that if they did not turn against Hezbollah, their country would face a “long war that would lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza.”
Israel has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in the besieged Palestinian territory, where it has razed entire residential neighborhoods and imposed severe restrictions on humanitarian aid, bringing Gaza to the brink of famine.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller warned that “there should not be any kind of military action in Lebanon that resembles Gaza.”
But parts of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh are already suffering widespread destruction from Israeli bombing.
As the war spreads to Lebanon, Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza.
Palestinian rights activists have accused the Israeli government of waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing in the territory’s north by withholding aid and closing centers housing civilians.
On Wednesday, Miller expressed concern about possible abuses in Gaza.
“We have made clear to the Israeli government that it has an obligation under international humanitarian law to allow food, water and other necessary humanitarian assistance to arrive in all areas of Gaza , and we fully expect them to respect these obligations. » he said.
The United States provides Israel with at least $3.8 billion in military aid annually, and the Biden administration has authorized $14 billion in additional aid to its ally to help finance the ongoing war .