Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited US President Joe Biden to his country this week on a solidarity visit as the IDF prepares a massive ground invasion of Gaza.
Biden would be the first head of state of visit Israel since the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist attack last Saturday that killed 1,400 Israelis and launched the nation and its unfriendly neighbor back into war.
Joe Biden’s office did not immediately confirm the invitation or issue a response.
Netanyahu said he held his fifth phone call with Biden since the outbreak of the war that has only escalated since the barbaric attack by Palestinian terrorists on innocent Israelis.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony fBlinken have already visited Israel to express support in person for the Israeli cause.
Blinken, last week, told the Israeli leader that America is ‘here and we’re not going anywhere,’ as the pair greeted one another.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly invited US President Joe Biden to come to Israel this week as the war with Palestinian terror group Hamas heats up
He told the Israeli Prime Minister Thursday that ‘you may be strong enough on your own to defend yourselves, but as long as America exists you will never have to … We will always be there by your side.’
‘Thank you tremendously,’ replied Netanyahu.
During a joint press conference, Blinken relayed his personal feelings about the ruthless slaughtering of Jews by Hamas terrorists – the single highest number of whom were killed last Saturday since the Holocaust.
‘If you’ll permit me a personal aside – I come before you not only as the United States Secretary of State, but also as a Jew,’ he said.
In addition to Israelis, at least 25 Americans died during the attacks. An unknown number in the double digits have also been kidnapped by Hamas and taken into Gaza.
It it also believed that there are as many as 600 US citizens stuck in Gaza.
Blinken also insisted that he would not attempt to restrain the Israeli counterattack ahead of a widely expected invasion of the heavily populated enclave.
Inevitably, Israel has been and will continue to be heavily criticized by countries, people, and outlets the world over for its counteroffensive attacks on Gaza.
The counterattacks are expected to ramp up this week as some 360,000 Israeli troops gather and prepare for war.
‘We know that Israel will take all of the precautions that it can, just as we would, and again that’s what separates us from Hamas and terrorist groups that engage in the most heinous kind of activities,’ Blinken told reporters as he left.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Israel last week to demonstrate in person the US’ support for Israel in the wake of Hamas terror attacks
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L) meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (R) in Tel Aviv. ”This is no time for neutrality, or for false equivalence, or for excuses for the inexcusable,’ Austin said during his Friday visit
Israeli soldiers with armored fighting vehicles assemble along the Israeli border with Gaza as the IDF prepares for a massive ground invasion of its hostile neighbor
The IDF have furiously warned the 1million residents of Gaza City to evacuate and head south.
Hamas has repeatedly told Palestinian residents of Gaza to stay in place and proceeded to forcefully restrict their movement.
Following Blinken’s visit, Austin arrived to show another high-profile show of US support for Israel.
In Tel Aviv at a press conference with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, he expressed an unequivocal condemnation of the Hamas terror attacks.
‘This is no time for neutrality, or for false equivalence, or for excuses for the inexcusable,’ he said, referring to the protests across the world, including all major US cities, in which groups of Palestinian supporters have gathered to celebrate the Hamas attacks as a step toward the liberation of the Palestinian people.
Many such groups excuse the radical Palestinian terror effort as part of a larger mission to end the ‘Israeli apartheid state.’
The Biden administration has made it clear that they are not sympathetic to the ideology of the protestors and will stand with Israel as it fights for its continued survival.
‘There is never any justification for terrorism. And that’s especially true of this rampage by Hamas,’ said Austin.
The DoD head added that what he had seen the Hamas terrorists execute last week was worse than anything he’d seen from ISIS.
Smoke rises from Gaza City as the IDF continues to bomb the area before the army kicks into high gear with a massive ground invasion
The USS Eisenhower, seen here in February, departed Virginia Friday and is now en route to the coast of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu is seen on Saturday speaking to soldiers preparing to invade Gaza
‘Merkava’ battle tanks muster today at a gathering site at an undisclosed location along the border with Gaza
Within hours of the horrific attack by Hamas, the US began moving warships and aircraft to the region to be ready to provide Israel with whatever it needs to respond.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the ‘world’s largest warship, arrived in the area Wednesday.
A second U.S. carrier strike group departs from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday. Scores of aircraft are heading to US military bases around the Middle East. And special operations forces are now assisting Israel’s military in planning and intelligence.
The buildup reflects US concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel could escalate into a more dangerous regional conflict. So the primary mission for those ships and warplanes for now is to establish a force presence that deters Hezbollah, Iran or others from taking advantage of the situation. But the forces the US sent are capable of more than that.
The US is also expediting the shipment of munitions and interceptors for Israel’s fight against Hamas.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that resupplying Iron Dome munitions and air defense systems was an immediate priority.
‘We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome,’ Biden said. ‘We´re going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens.’
Iron Dome´s missiles target rockets that approach one of its cities. According to Raytheon, Israel has 10 Iron Dome systems in place to protect its cities. Beginning with Saturday’s attack, Hamas has fired more than 5,000 rockets at Israel, most of which the system has been able to intercept, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Raytheon produces most of the missile components for Iron Dome in the US, and the Army has two Iron Dome systems in its stockpile.
Israel continues to deploy soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles near the Gaza border in Sderot, Israel on October 15, 2023, despite a delayed ground invasion into Gaza
A 360,000-strong IDF has assembled to prepare for battle with Hamas as Israeli leaders have sworn to eliminate every last operative of the terror group from the earth
In the US, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the US is ‘actively trying’ to locate American hostages who may be in Gaza and that finding and bringing them home is a ‘priority’ of the president’s.
‘This is obviously high on the president’s priority list. Nothing is more important to him than the safety and security of Americans that are held hostage overseas,’ he said.
Since the terror organization Hamas, who were at one time democratically elected by the Palestinian people to lead Gaza, attacked Israel last Saturday, slaughtering some 1,400 Israelis and injured at least 3,600, death tolls have climbed on both sides.
The Gazan Ministry of Health reported that the Palestinian death toll has climbed above 2,300, a figure that will surely increase if Gazans are not free to move out of the area Israel has explicitly told them to vacate.
Israel reported Saturday that 258 of its soldiers had been killed so far.
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