President Joe Biden discussed tensions in the Middle East with his national security team and with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Monday, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that his country will exact a “heavy price” if attacked by Iran or its proxies in the region.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said at a news briefing Monday that Iran “does not seek to aggravate tensions in the region,” but that it has the right to punish Israel following the attack last week that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Iran blames Israel for Haniyeh’s killing, which came hours after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that killed a commander from the militant group Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran.
Netanyahu said Sunday that Iran and its proxies were seeking to surround Israel “in a stranglehold of terrorism.”
“We are determined to stand against them on every front and in every arena — near and far,” Netanyahu said. “Whoever seeks to harm us will pay a very heavy price."
After Abdullah spoke with Biden, the Jordanian embassy in Washington said the king “stressed the need for de-escalation in the region and establishing comprehensive calm to prevent a regional war.”
Abdullah “said that reaching an immediate and permanent cease-fire to end the catastrophe in Gaza [the Israeli war with Hamas] is the immediate step that must be fully implemented to safeguard regional security and prevent further war and conflict.”
The White House said Biden “affirmed unwavering U.S. support for Jordan as a partner and ally in promoting regional peace and security.”
Turkey and Japan advised their citizens Monday to leave Lebanon, joining the United States, France, Canada, Britain and Jordan in warning of the potential for danger.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was in Iran on Sunday where he urged an end to escalation and for the region to live in “peace, security and stability.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke Sunday with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, reiterating “ironclad U.S. support for Israel’s security and right to self-defense against threats from Iran” and Iranian proxies such as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Yemen-based Houthis.
“They discussed U.S. force posture moves that the Department is taking to bolster protection for U.S. forces, support the defense of Israel, and deter and de-escalate broader tensions in the region,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The United States is moving an aircraft carrier group and more air assets to the region, in a move the Pentagon announced Friday.
Jonathan Finer, the White House National Security Council deputy adviser, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” show, "Our goal is de-escalation. Our goal is deterrence. Our goal is defense of Israel."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Sunday with the G7 foreign ministers to discuss the urgent need to calm tensions in the Mideast.
A State Department spokesperson said Blinken and his counterparts “reiterated their commitment to Israel’s security and urged maximum restraint from all parties to keep the conflict from escalating.”
The Israeli military said Monday it carried out an airstrike in southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah launching drones in cross-border attacks.
Hezbollah said it used drones to target an Israeli military base.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily fire since the Israeli-Hamas war started in Gaza nearly 10 months ago.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for its October 7 terror attack that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of 250 hostages. Israel’s counteroffensive has killed at least 39,600 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry, while Israel says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas fighters it has killed.
Haniyeh, Hamas' political chief, was the group's lead negotiator in efforts to reach an agreement on an elusive cease-fire. His killing raised questions about the continued viability of efforts by Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators to broker a truce and exchange of hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel.
Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
