WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 US President Joe Biden, in a recent conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that Tel Aviv risks being left without Washington's help in the event of another step toward escalation in the Middle East, the Axios portal reports, citing US officials.
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«Biden warned Netanyahu that if he escalates again, he should not count on US help,» the publication says.
In addition, the American leader expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's assassination of Hamas Politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran a week after a meeting at the White House, where Biden and Netanyahu discussed efforts to free hostages and a ceasefire.
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"Biden told Netanyahu that the United States would help Israel repel an Iranian attack, but that he expected no further escalation from Israel after that," the article said.
Biden recently discussed with Netanyahu the possibility of additional U.S. «defensive military deployments» in the Middle East to support Israel. The New York Times later reported, citing sources, that the United States would send more warplanes to the region.
Last Wednesday, the Palestinian Hamas movement reported the death of Haniyeh in an attack on his residence in Tehran, where he had arrived to participate in the inauguration of the new Iranian president. The movement blamed the killing on Israel and the United States and said the attack would not go unanswered.
Iran's mission to the UN announced that Tehran would respond to the killing of the head of the Hamas politburo with special operations designed to induce «deep remorse» «from the criminal. The Republic's Foreign Ministry blamed Israel for the attack. At the same time, Tehran called the United States an accomplice in the murder. As Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said, Israel “prepared the ground for its severe punishment” by eliminating Haniyeh, who was in the republic as a guest.
Tel Aviv refused to comment on the incident. At the same time, the Jerusalem Post wrote that the authorities of the Jewish state instructed ministers not to speak out about the murder of the Hamas leader. In turn, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that the United States did not know about the impending attack on the head of the Politburo of the Palestinian movement and was not involved in it.