President Joe Biden returns to Washington on Saturday afternoon to consult with his national security team a day after saying that he expects an Iranian attack against Israel “sooner, rather than later.”
Quick Read
- Return to Washington: President Joe Biden is returning to Washington D.C. early from Delaware to consult with his national security team regarding the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
- Reason for Early Return: The decision comes a day after Biden expressed his expectation of an imminent Iranian attack against Israel, following a recent attack on Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, Syria.
- Casualties in Damascus Attack: The attack on the Iranian embassy resulted in the deaths of a senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and six other officers.
- Biden’s Statement: On Friday, Biden reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel’s defense, warning Iran against retaliation and stating that any attempts by Iran would not succeed.
- Anticipated Iranian Retaliation: U.S. intelligence suggests that Iran may target multiple locations within Israel in retaliation for the Damascus strike.
- Additional Regional Tensions: Concurrently, regional tensions have escalated with reports of Iranian forces seizing a container ship managed by a company linked to an Israeli businessman near the Strait of Hormuz, and significant settler violence in the occupied West Bank following the death of an Israeli teen.
- Israeli Military Actions: In response to these developments, Israel conducted airstrikes on a Hezbollah military complex in southern Lebanon.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden returns to White House early amid Iran threats against Israel
REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware- (AP)
President Joe Biden returns to Washington on Saturday afternoon to consult with his national security team a day after saying that he expects an Iranian attack against Israel “sooner, rather than later.”
Biden cut his weekend trip to Delaware early, the White House said Saturday, to discuss events in the Middle East. Tehran has vowed to retaliate for Israel’s attack on Iran’s embassy compound last week in Damascus that killed a senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ overseas Quds Force and six other officers.
On Friday, Biden warned Iran against retaliation even while predicting the attack may be imminent. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said.
The US expects that Iran will carry out strikes against multiple targets inside Israel, sources say, in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. President Biden, who predicted an attack “sooner than later,” returns to Washington Saturday to meet with his national security team.
Iran has seized a container ship near the Strait of Hormuz with 25 crew members on board. According to Iranian state media, the vessel is managed by a company linked to an Israeli businessman.
Eyewitnesses say hundreds of Israeli settlers are surrounding Palestinian towns and attacking residents on Saturday after an Israeli teen who went missing in the occupied West Bank was found dead. It comes a day following one of the largest attacks by settlers this year, according to Palestinian officials. Israel said it carried out airstrikes on “a large military complex” used by Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon on Saturday.
