Biden says US commitment to Israel’s security against Iranian threats is ‘ironclad’

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday affirmed that Washington's commitment to Israel's security, particularly against threats from Iran, remains "ironclad. Biden said he told this to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a "long discussion" they had ” regarding the ongoing war in Gaza. 

“They’re threatening to launch a significant attack in Israel,” Biden said at a press conference alongside Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. "We're going to do all we can to protect Israel's security.” 

The president's remarks come following U.S. assessments that Iran is preparing to launch an “imminent” attack on Israel that could involve drones or high-precision missiles. According to a Bloomberg Report quoting people familiar with the intelligence, the attack could either emanate from Iranian territory or be carried out by Iran’s proxies in the region. 

“If Iran attacks from its territory – Israel will respond and attack in Iran,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz tweeted in Farsi on Wednesday. 

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to punish Israel in response to its alleged airstrike in Damascus that targeted senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last week. Israel has not formally claimed responsibility for the airstrike. 

An unnamed American official told Al Jazeera that the U.S. would help defend Israel in case of an Iranian attack, saying: “President Biden's pledge regarding the protection of Israel in the face of Iranian reinforcements did not come out of nowhere.”

The Axios news outlet reported that U.S. CENTCOM Commander Gen. Erik Kurilla is expected to visit Israel on Thursday to coordinate possible responses to an Iranian strike. The general’s visit is part of a larger effort by U.S. and Israeli officials across agency levels to prepare for an Iranian response, officials on both sides told Axios.

Speaking about the war in Gaza, Biden vowed to continue the efforts to reach a hostage release deal. "We're not going to stop until we do," he said. 

The American president explained that Hamas now has to respond to the new U.S. proposal that includes a six-week ceasefire.

“They need to move on the proposal, and ... get these hostages home where they belong,” he said.

Biden described his conversations with the Israeli premier as “blunt and straightforward.” In an interview he recorded on April 3, he called Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza “a mistake.” 

"The fact is that Bibi and I have had long discussions and have agreed to do several things related to number one to getting more food and medicine into Gaza and reducing significantly the civilian casualties and any action taken in the region," Biden said on Wednesday. 

The Israeli body responsible for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) noted that a record number of over 1,200 aid trucks have entered Gaza in the past three days. Israel says it can facilitate the entry of aid without any limit. It blames the United Nations for failing to distribute the aid within Gaza and causing a backlog of aid on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing. 

Israel is surging aid into Gaza, with over 1200 trucks entering in 3 days (avg 400/day).
Right now, 500 trucks worth lying on the Gaza side of KS waiting to be picked up by UN agencies. @UN, Do your job, focus on distribution, and stop blaming Israel for your colossal failures. pic.twitter.com/jASu1t3sro

— COGAT (@cogatonline) April 10, 2024