Biden Caught in Dilemma Over Middle East Conflict: Iran’s Attack on Israel Sparks Tension

(AFP, Washington, 14th) Iran’s attack on Israel has put US President Joe Biden in a dilemma: how to balance support for allies while preventing the outbreak of a wider war.

Biden’s pledge of “iron-clad” support for Israel, including the shooting down of an Iranian drone, overshadowed the tense relationship between the United States and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza war.

But the White House said it would not support any Israeli counterattacks against Iran and warned Israel to “carefully consider” the risk that escalating tensions could trigger a full-scale regional conflict.

The question for Biden is what if Netanyahu takes action anyway, as he did with the Gaza Strip.

“This puts him in a very difficult position,” Colin Clarke, research director at the Soufan Group, a Washington-based international intelligence and security consultancy, told AFP.

“I think he’s suspicious of Netanyahu’s motives… Netanyahu is trying to spread the fighting across the region to divert attention from how poorly he handled the war in Gaza.”

Since the Palestinian Islamist organization “Hamas” raided Israel on October 7 last year and Israel launched a counterattack on the Gaza corridor, Biden has been trying to avoid a regional war that might plunge the United States into the Middle East quagmire again.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Netanyahu was “clear” that Biden did not want a “broader war.”

The US plan seems to be that Iran will get what it wants and show force in retaliation for the Israeli air strike on the Iranian embassy complex in Syria earlier this month, but the damage caused was very small.

“However, I worry that the status quo will be short-lived,” said James Ryan, executive director of the Middle East Research and Information Project.

He added: “I expected that Biden would try to limit Israel’s response, but Netanyahu has shown a willingness to test any boundaries that Biden wants to impose. Unfortunately, it is all about benefiting others at the expense of others.”