Joe Biden cuts trip short and returns to White House as Iranian retaliation attack on Israel feared
President Joe Biden cut a weekend trip short and returned to the White House as an Iranian attack on Israel reportedly looms.
Mr Biden was set to spend the weekend in his home state of Delaware but is now returning to Washington, DC on Saturday afternoon. He will meet with his national security team upon his return, the Associated Press reports, to discuss a feared attack by Iran against Israel as soon as this weekend.
The feared retaliatory attacks come after a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria on 1 April. The attack killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and six other officers. Such an attack could further heighten tensions and violence in the area.
Already, the region faces Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza and the consistent fire exchanged between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, along the Israel-Lebanon border
On Friday evening, the president said his administration expects Iran to launch an attack against Israel “sooner rather than later.” He also warned Tehran against launching the attack.
“We are devoted to the defence of Israel,” Mr Biden told reporters. “We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed.”
Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he spoke with his counterpart in Israel on Saturday morning.
“This morning, I spoke with my Israeli counterpart, National Security Advisor Hanegbi, to discuss events in the Middle East,” Mr Sullivan said on X. “During the call, I reiterated the United States’ ironclad commitment to the security of Israel.”
As Israel braces for an attack, the IDF has issued an alert pausing all “educational activities” and limiting gatherings throughout most of the country to 1000 people.
In the last six months, Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed more than 33,400 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza. The attacks come in response to 7 October, when Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking more than 200 people hostage.
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