Biden spoke to Netanyahu about Israeli plans to retaliate against Iran Foreign Defense Security News

Netanyahu has vowed that archenemy Iran will pay for the missile attacks, while Tehran has said any retaliation would cause mass destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the oil-producing region that could draw in the United States.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have been strained over the Israeli leader's handling of the war in Gaza and the conflict with Hezbollah.

In the book “War,” published next week, journalist Bob Woodward reported that Biden regularly accused Netanyahu of lacking a strategy, shouting “Bibi, what the hell?” near and towards Beirut in July after the Israeli attack on Iran.

Asked about the book, a U.S. official familiar with the two leaders' past interactions said Biden used sharp, direct, blunt and colorful language both toward and about Netanyahu while in office.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant canceled Wednesday's visit to the Pentagon, the Pentagon said, after Israeli media reported that Netanyahu wanted to talk to Biden first.

A person familiar with the matter said tensions have increased in recent weeks as U.S. officials have been repeatedly blindsided by Israel's actions. These include the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Israel and the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon, which Israel neither confirmed nor denied.

Israel has also been slow to share details of plans to retaliate against Iranian ballistic missile attacks, the person added.

Electoral problem

Biden has come under fire from international partners as well as members of his own Democratic Party for his inability to use pressure, including the United States' role as a major arms supplier to Israel, to stop Netanyahu's attacks.

As a result, Kamala Harris, Biden's vice president and the Democratic presidential nominee in the November 5 election, faced the challenge of defending the administration's policies during the campaign.

Instead, many Arab-American voters in Michigan, a key battleground state, are supporting independent candidate Jill Stein, a move that could hurt Democrats in the state and possibly the White House in a race against former Republican President Donald Trump that polls show is too tight. .

Harris joined Biden and Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Retaliation against Israel is a key issue and Washington is expected to consider whether the response is appropriate, said a person familiar with the talks.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Hamas-ruled Gaza, the Gaza war has killed approximately 42,000 Palestinians and more than 2,000 people have died in Lebanon, with Israel and Netanyahu in particular drawing widespread condemnation.

Israel says that, according to Israeli data, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, and is defending itself against attacks by other militants, including Hezbollah, which supports Hamas.

Iran's oil fields

Last Friday, Biden said that if he were Israel, he would consider the option of attacking Iran's oil fields, adding that he believed Israel was undecided on how Iran might respond. He also said last week that he would not support an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Israel faced calls from the United States and other allies to accept ceasefire agreements in Gaza and Lebanon, but said it would continue its military operations until Israelis were safe.

Biden and Netanyahu were expected to discuss the conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, among other topics.

The United States has said it supports Israel in attacking Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.