US President Joe Biden assured his ally the Israeli Prime Minister yesterday Thursday Benjamin Netanyahu that the US remains “committed” to guaranteeing the security of the Jewish state in the face of “all Iranian threats”.
During a telephone conversation between the two men, in which the American vice president also participated Kamala Harris — the Democratic candidate for the presidency in the November elections — the White House occupant “insisted on the importance of continued efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region,” according to the laconic press release released by his services.
US commitment to Israel
“The president reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security in the face of all threats from Iran, including its allied terrorist organizations Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” the press release said.
Mr. Biden “discussed efforts to bolster Israel’s defense against threats, including ballistic missiles and drones,” which could mean “new defense deployments of the U.S. armed forces,” according to the White House.
Efforts to prevent conflict in the Middle East
The US president’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told accredited reporters earlier that Washington was making “intense efforts” to prevent a large-scale conflict in the Middle East.
Hezbollah announced Thursday night that it had fired dozens of Katyusha rockets at northern Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed four Syrians in southern Lebanon. It was the first attack by the Lebanese group since the killing of a top official in its military arm, Fouad Soukr, on Tuesday night in a bombing claimed by the Israeli army.
Iran and its allies are reportedly preparing to retaliate against Israel, their sworn enemy, after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniya in Tehran. At his official funeral ceremony, thousands of people gathered in the Iranian capital yesterday. He is expected to be buried today in Qatar.
Sources: APE-MPE, AFP, ert.gr
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