The White House said US President Joe Biden stressed, in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, the “urgent need” to conclude a ceasefire agreement in Gaza in exchange for “letting spread” of the enemies.
Their call came after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s whirlwind trip to the Middle East that ended on Tuesday, with no agreement reached between Israel and Hamas on a truce in the Palestinian enclave.
The statement said Biden and Netanyahu also discussed American efforts to support Israel, “and the use of American defensive weapons.”
Iran has vowed to respond to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, which it blamed on Israel. Israel did not confirm or deny that it was behind the assassination.
The United States ordered a guided missile submarine to be deployed in the Middle East and ordered the Abraham Lincoln Strike Group to accelerate its deployment in the region to be “ready” to support defense Israel.
The White House said in a brief statement that the call, which was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, discussed “the ceasefire, the cessation of hostilities agreement, and diplomatic efforts to contain regional tensions in.”
The tripartite dialogue also touched on America’s active and ongoing efforts to support “Israel’s defense” against all threats from Iran, including “the terrorist proxy groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. “
The mediators in Egypt and Qatar hope to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas on an “American proposal to close the gap,” which aims to narrow the gaps between the two sides to end the war that has been going on for ten months. .
A US official said before the call that Biden was expected to pressure Netanyahu to reduce Israel’s new demand to allow it to keep forces along the Saladin Corridor, the Philadelphia axis, between Egypt and Gaza, according to Reuters.
The talks aimed at ending the fighting in Gaza include Hamas’ demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphia axis, a narrow strip of a 14.5 kilometer stretch of land along the southern coastal border with Egypt.
While Israel wants to maintain control of the corridor, which it captured at the end of May, after destroying dozens of tunnels under it, which it says were used to “smuffle weapons” to armed groups in Gaza.
Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East
Comment on the picture, The USS Abraham Lincoln carries F-35 stealth aircraft
This comes as the United States continues to promote the use of weapons in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, US Central Command announced the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to the Middle East.
US Central Command said in a statement: “The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, equipped with F-35C fighters, as well as combat aircraft, entered the US Central Command area of responsibility.”
The aircraft carrier and its strike force moved to the Middle East last week, to be deployed in the region to deal with any future escalation, according to a statement from the Pentagon at the time.
US Central Command announced in early August that the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) arrived in the US Fifth Fleet area of operations.
The Fifth Fleet’s operational area includes the Gulf region, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and parts of the Indian Ocean, and the American order said that the deployment of the Roosevelt carrier in the region has half “strategic”. importance.” They serve a number of key purposes, including enhancing maritime security, providing critical operational support, enhancing deterrence and stability, and enabling rapid response operations.
