Biden spoke to Netanyahu about Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran Foreign Defense Security News

Netanyahu has vowed to make arch-enemy Iran pay for its missile attacks, while Tehran has said any retaliation would cause massive 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 tense, strained by the Israeli leader's handling of the Gaza war and the conflict with Hezbollah.

In “War,” a book published next week, journalist Bob Woodward reported that Biden regularly accused Netanyahu of having no strategy, shouting “Bibi, what the fuck?” near Beirut and towards it in July, following the Israeli attack on Iran.

Asked about the book, a US official familiar with the two leaders' past interactions said Biden had used sharp, direct, blunt and colorful language both with and about Netanyahu during his time 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 speak to Biden first.

Tensions have risen in recent weeks as U.S. officials have been repeatedly surprised by Israeli actions, a person familiar with the matter said. 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 has neither confirmed nor denied.

Israel has also been slow to share details of plans to retaliate against Iran's ballistic missile attacks, the person said.

Election problem

Biden has been criticized by international partners, as well as members of his own Democratic Party, for his failure to use influence, including the US role as Israel's main arms supplier, to dissuade Netanyahu's attacks.

By extension, Kamala Harris, Biden's vice president and Democratic presidential candidate in the November 5 elections, was challenged to defend the administration's policies during the campaign.

Many Arab-American voters in Michigan, a key battleground state, are backing independent candidate Jill Stein, a move that could hurt Democrats in the state and possibly the White House in a race against Republican former President Donald Trump that polls of opinion prove to be very fierce. . .

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

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

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

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

Iran's oil fields

Biden said last Friday that he would consider the option of attacking Iran's oil fields if he were in Israel's shoes, adding that he considered Israel to be undecided about how Iran might respond. Last week, he also said he would not support Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

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

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

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