WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden offered Israel on Saturday “all appropriate means of support” after a deadly attack from Palestinian militant group Hamas and warned “any party hostile to Israel” not to seek advantage.
US and Israeli officials were coordinating about Israel’s military needs in the wake of the attack, with a decision expected soon, a senior US official said.
The United States is working with other governments to make sure the crisis does not spread and is contained to Gaza following a deadly Hamas attack in Israel, the official said.
“We want to make sure this is contained in Gaza,” the official told reporters.
The assault by the Iran-backed Islamist group erupted amid efforts by Biden and his team to negotiate a landmark normalization agreement between foes Israel and Saudi Arabia and a US-Saudi defense pact.
Biden spoke by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday to offer US support, with scenes of violence playing out on American news networks. The two leaders have had strained relations but met in New York last month in a show of solidarity.
“I made clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu that we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the government and people of Israel,” Biden said in a written statement issued after their call.
President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington on Oct. 7, 2023, to assure Israel of US support after the militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out a multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday. (AP)
In his televised remarks later, Biden issued a blunt warning. “Israel has a right to defend itself and its people — full stop,” he said. “Let me say this as clearly as I can. This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage. The world is watching.”
The senior US official, speaking on a conference call, said there was no indication yet that Iran was involved in the Hamas attack but vowed to look into it.
Amid worries about a massive Israeli intelligence failure, the official said Washington had no specific warning or indication that Hamas would launch the attack.
“We always share timely intelligence,” the official said.
Biden directed his national security team to stay in touch about the situation with countries throughout the region including Egypt, Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and European allies.
The violence came as Washington was in disarray: Republicans are looking for a successor to ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the House of Representatives, and a budget showdown looms with Biden and his Democrats that could lead to a government shutdown in about 40 days.
Biden’s choice to be US ambassador to Israel, former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, has yet to be confirmed by the US Senate.
