United States President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone on October 9th regarding Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for its October 1st missile attack on Israel. The call was their first known conversation since August. President Biden has notably expressed apprehension towards the notion of Israel targeting Tehran’s nuclear facilities. The U.S. continues to support Israel while pushing for regional de-escalation, and American troop numbers in the Middle East have recently increased to promote U.S. interests.
As reported by Al Jazeera, the White House said that “the president affirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” during the call. In addition to Biden’s hesitancy at an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites, he stated last week: “If I were in their shoes, I would be thinking about other alternatives than striking Iranian oilfields.” Netanyahu remains heavy handed toward the fronts of Israel’s war, warning Lebanese citizens last week that not turning away from Hezbollah would cause a “long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza.” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller responded to the statement by saying there “should be no kind of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza.”
While the U.S. has attempted to rein in Israel’s significant response to the attacks from Hamas over a year ago, the escalation into Lebanon in response to Hezbollah and lack of direction in Gaza show that the U.S. needs to increase its pressure on Israel to end the war and avoid further escalation. Biden’s expression of significant support of Israel’s military actions on the call without more than words of concern for the scale of violence and impact on civilians is counterproductive to lasting peace. The widening of the war into the surrounding region risks a longer and more violent conflict and the potential for more significant Iranian military involvement, which would certainly lengthen the path to peace.
Since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack into Israel which killed 1,200 people, Israel’s military response has killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza. Iran-backed Hezbollah has attacked Israel by firing rockets and using drones throughout the war, and Israel has responded with airstrikes that have severely weakened the group, including the assassination of its leader Hasan Nasrallah. After his killing, Iran retaliated by firing a barrage of missiles towards Israel, which killed none. According to the UN, Israel’s attacks into Lebanon have displaced over 600,000 people, largely within the last two weeks.
The region is approaching a tipping point that could draw in more actors in an already catastrophic war. The U.S., as the largest supporter of Israel, has a significant role in the direction of the conflict. The upcoming U.S. presidential election will likely shift the war towards protraction and escalation or towards peace. The Biden administration has said that it does not believe a resolution will be reached before the end of its term. How Israel responds to Iran’s October 1st attack and whether Iran becomes more directly involved will be pivotal in the future of the war and the road to peace. See more on Israel-Palestine at the Crisis Index here.
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