Escalating Israel-Iran Conflict: Biden-Netanyahu Call Amid Tensions and Retaliation Plans
The 30-minute call was the first known chat between Biden and Netanyahu since August and coincided with a sharp escalation of Israel’s conflict in the Middle East.
The call was “direct and very productive,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters while acknowledging that the two leaders are open about disagreements.
The Middle East has been on edge awaiting Israel’s response to a missile attack last week that Tehran carried out in retaliation for Israel’s military escalation in Lebanon.
After describing Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attack as a failure, Gallant said in a video issued by his office after the Biden-Netanyahu call had ended: “Whoever attacks us will be hurt and will pay the price. Our attack will be deadly, precise, and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, but they will see the results.
Netanyahu has promised that arch-foe Iran will pay for its missile attack, while Tehran has said any retaliation would be met with vast destruction, raising fears of a wider war in the oil-producing region which could draw in the United States.
Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have been tense and strained over the Israeli leader’s handling of the war in Gaza and the conflict with Hezbollah. Israel has said it will pursue its military operations until the Israelis are safe.
In “War,” a book out next week, journalist Bob Woodward reports that Biden regularly accused Netanyahu of having no strategy, and shouted “Bibi, what the fuck?” at him in July, after Israeli strikes near Beirut and in Iran.
Asked about the book, one U.S. official familiar with the two leaders’ past interactions said Biden has used sharp, direct, unfiltered, and colorful language both with and about Netanyahu while in office.
Wednesday’s call was “a positive call, and we appreciate the support of the U.S.,” Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters.
“And as we stated earlier, Israel will retaliate for the attack … We will choose the locations. It will be painful for the Iranian regime,” Danon said.
Gallant canceled a Wednesday visit to the Pentagon, the Pentagon said. Gallant said in a statement he had postponed the visit at Netanyahu’s request until after the prime minister spoke with Biden.
Tensions have increased in recent weeks as U.S. officials were repeatedly blindsided by Israeli actions, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the detonation of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon that Israel has neither confirmed nor denied carrying out.
Israel has also been slow to share details of its planning for retaliation against Iran’s ballistic missile attack, the person said.
