US President Joe Biden discussed new US military deployments to counter threats of Iranian direct attack against the Jewish state when he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night.
“The President discussed efforts to support Israel’s defense against threats, including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive US military deployments,” the White House said after the call.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who earlier in the week had stated that Israel had a right to self-defense, participated in the phone call.
The White House said that the “President reaffirmed his commitment to Israel's security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.”
“Together with this commitment to Israel’s defense, the President stressed the importance of ongoing efforts to de-escalate broader tensions in the region,” the White House stated.
Iranian threats
Iran had threatened a direct strike against Israel from its territory together with a coordinated attack by Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and other groups located in Syria and Iraq, which makes up what it has termed its axis of resistance.
In April, it had launched some 300 drones and missiles against the Jewish states, most of which were shot out of the sky by a coalition of five armies. This included the US, Israel, Jordan, the United Kingdom and France.
The two men as Israel’s three-front battle against Iranian proxy groups — Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen — threatened to break out into a regional war.
The stakes were raised after a Hezbollah rocket landed Saturday in the village of Majdal Shams, killing 12 Druze children.
On Tuesday night, Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, who was behind the attack. On Wednesday morning, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran.
Israel has not taken formal responsibility for the attack but is widely believed to be behind the hit. Haniyeh is one of the masterminds behinds the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7 in which over 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.