White House Braces for Anticipated Iranian Attack on Israel

President Joe Biden meets with members of the national security team in the White House Situation Room on Aug. 5, 2024. @POTUS via X

President Joe Biden met on Monday with his national security team in anticipation of a retaliatory attack by Tehran over what it alleges was Israel’s killing of a Hamas leader on its soil.

The high-level meeting occurred as the United States aims to cool tensions in the troubled region, heightened again by the killing of top Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 during an airstrike targeting his housing in the Iranian capital after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president.

Biden confirmed in a statement on social media that he was briefed Monday in the Situation Room on developments in the Middle East. Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democrat nominee, also attended the meeting, according to the president.

“We received updates on threats posed by Iran and its proxies, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, and preparations to support Israel should it be attacked again,” Biden wrote. “We also discussed the steps we are taking to defend our forces and respond to any attack against our personnel in a manner and place of our choosing.”

Iran has blamed Israel for the killing of Haniyeh and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to retaliate.

Israel has not taken responsibility for the attack, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the threats that Israel stands ready for any scenario.

Iran’s vows of retaliation over the killing of Haniyeh have since stoked concerns among world leaders of expanding conflict in the region.

On July 30, a senior Hezbollah commander was also killed in Lebanon. Israel claimed responsibility for that attack.

Calls for Restraint

The United States continues to urge restraint, this time following Iran’s threats of retaliation. Biden earlier on Monday called the King of Jordan and discussed efforts to de-escalate regional tensions “including through an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal,” according to a White House readout.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called his counterparts in Qatar and Egypt. Both nations play key roles in cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas.

“We are at a critical moment in the region,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said during a press briefing.

“We have been sending consistent messages through our diplomatic engagements encouraging people to communicate to the government of Iran that escalation is not in their interest and that we will defend Israel from attacks, and that escalation does not serve Iran’s interest, just as it doesn’t serve the interests of anyone in the region,” Miller said.

The United States has beefed up its military presence in the Middle East by sending fighter jets and warships to the region in anticipation of an attack, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The defense secretary said he spoke with his Israeli officials to reiterate U.S. support for Israel’s right to self-defense against threats posed by Iran and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups.

“I discussed U.S. defensive force posture moves, the focus on protecting U.S. forces, and stressed the importance of ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region. I expressed my support for a Gaza ceasefire deal that brings the hostages home,” the defense secretary wrote in a statement on X.

Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, also attended Monday’s crisis talks, according to the White House.

The State Department has declined to provide a timeframe of when the United States expects Iran to retaliate.

From NTD News