The White House said Thursday that President Joe Biden would continue his support of Israel, even as the president demanded an ‘immediate ceasefire’ from Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu and warned them to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza.
‘Our support is ironclad and consistent, it’s not gonna stop and it’s not gonna waver,’ White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said during the White House press briefing Thursday afternoon. ‘But will there perhaps be policy changes we may have to make if we don’t see policy changes out of Israel? Yes.’
Kirby said the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu was ‘pretty frank’ and that the president insisted that Israel do more to prevent civilian casualties and provide aid to civilians.
The president’s warnings were issued to Netanyahu as they Israel is bracing for a military response from Iran after an Israeli strike on a building in Damascus, Syria that killed two Iranian generals and five officers.
The CIA has reportedly warned Tel Aviv that a retaliation from Tehran is imminent, and the Israelis have cancelled all leave for combat troops.
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC,
United States President Joe Biden called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demand changes to their war in Gaza
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday said Israel would pay a ‘heavy price’ for the attack, and Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen Aharon the ‘worst’ may not be behind them.
The White House did not threaten specific consequences if Israel failed to reduce casualties, but said they would be watching Israeli officials closely.
‘We’re going to watch and see what Israel does here. We expect that in coming hours and days they will make announcements of changes they’re going to make, I don’t want to get ahead of them,’ Kirby said later Thursday in an interview with Fox News.
He said it was premature to discuss any specific policy changes with Israel.
Biden’s concerns with Israel escalated after an Israeli military strike targeted a World Central Kitchen convoy this week, killing seven aid workers including an American citizen.
Families of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who were killed in the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy complex in the Syrian capital Damascus, attend a funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran April 4, 2024.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of attacks from Iran within hours
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (centre) praying over the coffins of members of the Iranian revolutionary guards corps
Khamenei conversing with families and relatives of Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike
Rescue workers search in the rubble of a building annexed to the Iranian embassy a day after an air strike in Damascus on April 2
The Israel Defense Forces canceled leave for soldiers in preparation for the attacks, warning citizens to expect retaliatory attacks from Iran.
Netanyahu spoke about the possibility of the attacks from Iran after he completed his phone call with Biden.
‘We will know how to defend ourselves, and we will act according to the simple principle: that those who harm us or plan to harm us, we will harm,’ he said.
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