“We will respond if they keep moving against those troops,” I warned the ayatollah.
And he ought to be ready,’ added Biden
Additionally, he occasionally chastised Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
President Joe Biden denounced radical settlers who attacked Palestinians and questioned Hamas’ death tolls on Wednesday, issuing a sharp new warning to Iran to be “prepared” for a reaction should they exacerbate the violence in the Middle East.
In a press conference with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Biden primarily discussed the war between Israel and Hamas and addressed worries that groups with ties to Iran would target American troops in the area as a form of reprisal.
“We will respond if they keep moving against those troops,” I warned the ayatollah.
And he ought to be ready.
Not related to Israel,’ he murmured.
In addition to defending Israel’s right to respond to the terrorist assaults on its citizens on October 7, the president criticised Israeli settlers in the West Bank and reaffirmed calls for a two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians after the current war ends.
Furthermore, he made it apparent that he did not demand that Israel cease its ground attack of Gaza in order to give more time for the release of more captives.
Speaking with his Australian counterpart, President Biden is discussing China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region, a top priority for his administration.
However, the Middle East and rumours that American officials are worried about the violence getting worse took up most of his news conference on Wednesday.
At least twenty Americans have been injured this month as a result of drone assaults on American sites in Syria and Iraq.
The U.S. government views Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, and Biden has frequently cautioned Iranian proxy groups not to exploit the conflict between Israel and Hamas as justification for attacking targets.
On Wednesday, he issued a second warning.
He stated, “We’ve had troops in the region since 9/11 to go after ISIS and prevent reemergence,” adding that there is “nothing at all to do with Israel” with the American presence in the area.
US officials fear that if Israel begins its foot invasion of the Palestinian enclave held by Hamas, militant groups would turn their attention towards US personnel stationed in the area.
One US contractor has died as a result of the at least 13 missile and drone attacks that have occurred against US forces in Syria and Iraq thus far.
An American drone was also destroyed in the strikes.
Additionally, Biden refuted allegations that he requested that Israel postpone a physical invasion of the West Bank so that authorities might attempt to secure the release of the over 200 hostages that Hamas is holding.
When the president was in Israel last week, he reportedly told Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, that the final say in all matters was his.
I’ve told him that they should try to get these people out safely if that’s what can be done.
They make the decision. I didn’t ask for it.
At his news conference in the Rose Garden, he stated, “If it is real, it should be done.”
While Biden and his administration have never wavered in their support of Israel, the president has also called for the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, which is desperately in need of food, fuel, clean water, and medical supplies.
In his speech on Wednesday, the president reaffirmed his backing for Israel.
Israel has the right—and, in my opinion, the obligation—to retaliate to the massacre of its citizens.
And we promise to make sure Israel has everything it needs to protect itself from these attackers.
As challenging as it is, he stated, “Israel must do everything in its power to protect innocent civilians.”
However, he also denounced the ‘pouring petrol on fires’ of Israeli settlers’ retaliatory attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
“It still worries me that radical settlers are attacking Palestinians in the West Bank and dousing fires with petrol.”
This was significant.
They are targeting Palestinians in areas where they have the right to remain after the arrangement was signed.
It needs to end.
And just now, it must end.
He emphasised that “the vast majority of Palestinians, whether in the Gaza Strip or elsewhere, do not identify with Hamas.”
It is disgusting and understandably cowardly for Hamas to be sheltering behind Palestinian citizens.
Additionally, he denounced the heinousness of the Hamas assault, which claimed 1,400 Israeli lives and sparked a two-week conflict with no indications of ending.
He expressed his conviction that Hamas was motivated, at least in part, by a desire to thwart American efforts to restore Israeli relations with a number of its Arab neighbours, most notably Saudi Arabia.
‘I have no proof, but I’m confident that part of the reason Hamas attacked at that time.
It’s a gut feeling.
He mentioned that it was a result of the strides we had made towards regional integration with Israel.
The president added that Israelis, Palestinians, and their allies must strive towards a two-state solution after the Israel-Hamas crisis is resolved.
“Palestinians and Israelis alike ought to coexist in safety, honour, and tranquilly,” stated Biden.
Additionally, Biden stated that he had “no confidence” in Hamas’ assertions of the quantity of civilian deaths that have occurred in Gaza over the past two weeks.
Over 6,500 people have reportedly died as a result of Israeli airstrikes since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza; however, the figure could not be independently confirmed.
“I’m not sure if Palestinians who claim to know how many people have died are telling the truth.”
He added, “I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using,” and stated, “I’m sure innocents have been killed and that is the price of waging war.”
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