Even as the United States was defending Israel from a sustained airstrike by Iran and Joe Biden was speaking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, senior Biden administration officials were smearing Netanyahu and Israel with leaks to the media.
NBC News reported that Biden said privately that he fears Netanyahu is trying to drag the United States into war while a senior administration official told NBC: “The Israelis don’t always make the best strategic decisions.”
Excerpt from NBC report titled: “Israel worried by US will respond to Iran without thinking about potential fallout”
Some senior U.S. officials fear that Israel might do something quickly in response to Iran’s attacks without thinking about the potential fallout afterward, according to a senior administration official and a senior defense official.
…President Joe Biden has privately expressed concern that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to drag the United States deeper into a broader conflict, according to three people familiar with his comments.
…“I don’t think they had a strategy,” the senior administration official said. “Israelis don’t always make the best strategic decisions.”
A week ago Biden threatened Netanyahu over aid to Israel for his conduct in Gaza in an effort to defeat Hamas, according to a White House statement released on April 4:
President Biden spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The two leaders discussed the situation in Gaza. President Biden stressed that strikes against aid workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable. He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that US policy regarding Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps. He stressed that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians, and urged the Prime Minister to empower his negotiators to conclude an agreement to bring the hostages home without delay. The two leaders also discussed Iranian public threats against Israel and the Israeli people. President Biden has made clear that the United States strongly supports Israel in the face of such threats.”
A Marine is outside the Oval Office – which means POTUS is inside – Israeli officials tell Fox President Biden is on the phone with Prime Minister Netanyahu right now pic.twitter.com/uF6MlIqgnr
— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) April 14, 2024
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently speaking with US President Joe Biden, following Security Cabinet and War Cabinet deliberations. pic.twitter.com/v2oJqMSky4
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 14, 2024
On Saturday night, Biden acted like he was Israel’s best friend again.
Biden released a statement late Saturday night about the Iranian attack and his phone call with Netanyahu:
Today, Iran – and its proxies operating in Yemen, Syria and Iraq – launched an unprecedented airstrike against military facilities in Israel. I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms.
At my direction, to support Israel’s defense, the U.S. military moved ballistic missile defense aircraft and destroyers to the region over the past week. Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our military, we have helped Israel shoot down nearly all incoming drones and missiles.
I just spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. I told him that Israel has demonstrated a remarkable ability to defend itself and defeat even unprecedented attacks, sending a clear message to its enemies that they cannot effectively threaten Israel’s security.
Tomorrow I will convene my fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack. My team will engage with their counterparts across the region. And we will remain in close contact with Israeli leaders. And while we have not seen any attacks against our forces or facilities today, we will remain vigilant to all threats and will not hesitate to take all actions necessary to protect our people.