Biden and Netanyahu discuss US troop deployments
During a call on Thursday night, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the deployment of American military forces to counter Iranian threats of direct attacks against Israel.
The White House said in a statement after the call, “President Biden discussed increased US military deployments in response to Iranian threats against Israel during a call with Prime Minister Netanyahu on Thursday. The President reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”
Biden also emphasized efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.
US Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the call.
Hamas and Hezbollah are designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and several other countries due to their involvement in acts of violence and terrorism against civilians.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army has geared up for any Iranian assault against Israel after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, according to three Iranian officials briefed on the order.
Khamenei issued the order during an emergency meeting of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday morning, shortly after Iran reported the death of Mr. Haniyeh. This information was revealed by three Iranian officials, including two members of the Revolutionary Guards, who requested anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
In a public statement about Haniyeh’s death, Khamenei signaled that Iran would retaliate directly, saying, “We see avenging his blood our duty,” because it happened on the territory of the Islamic Republic. He said Israel had set the stage for receiving “a severe punishment.”
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