Joe Biden reaffirmed Wednesday that his support for Israel was “unwavering” in the face of threats of retaliation from Iran after a deadly strike against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria.
Iran “is threatening to launch a significant attack against Israel,” US President Joe Biden said during a joint press conference at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
According to the Bloomberg agency, which cites people “close to” American intelligence, it would be increasingly likely that Iran or its allies would carry out a “massive attack” on Israel. The American media mentions drone or missile strikes which could potentially be sent in the coming days. It is “no longer a question of if but when” this attack will take place, an anonymous source told Bloomberg.
“As I told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security, in the face of these threats from Iran and its allies, is unwavering.” “I repeat: unwavering. We will do everything we can to protect Israel’s security,” he continued.
Tensions between Biden and Netanyahu
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assured on Wednesday that Israel would be “punished” after a deadly attack attributed to it on April 1 in Syria. The strike destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus and left 16 dead, including seven members of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, according to an NGO.
Since then, Iran had already promised to respond to this strike which further exacerbated regional tensions against a backdrop of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas, supported by Iran. The Americans, for their part, assured that they had “nothing to do” with this attack.
This support from the United States comes at a time when the American president no longer hides his frustration with his Israeli counterpart against whom he is increasing criticism, particularly in his management of the war in Gaza. Joe Biden continues to raise his voice towards his counterpart regarding humanitarian aid or a possible ceasefire. Yesterday, Joe Biden once again issued one of his strongest criticisms of the military strategy in Gaza of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, calling it "an error."