President Joe Biden is cutting short a weekend stay at his Delaware beach house to return to the White House on Saturday. The decision comes as he plans to meet with his national security team and closely monitor the situation in the Middle East.
The Pentagon has reported that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had discussions with his Israeli counterpart regarding urgent regional threats. Austin assured Israel of full U.S. support in defending against any potential attacks by Iran and its regional proxies.
Tensions have heightened in the region following a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian consular building in Syria, resulting in casualties, including senior Iranian generals. Israel is on high alert for a possible Iranian retaliation, prompting concerns about deeper U.S. involvement in the conflict.
President Biden reiterated the United States' commitment to defending Israel and emphasized that Iran's efforts would not succeed. When asked about his message for Iran, Biden simply responded, 'Don't.'
The President refrained from disclosing details about a potential U.S. military response trigger but hinted at the possibility of an imminent Iranian attack on Israel.
Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, there have been frequent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group along the Israel-Lebanon border. U.S. officials have documented over 150 attacks by Iran-backed militias on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since the conflict began in early October.
In a recent incident, Iranian commandos from the Revolutionary Guard boarded an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz, leading to its seizure. The U.S. strongly condemned the action and called for the immediate release of the ship and its crew, vowing to hold Iran accountable.
Simultaneously, the Israeli-occupied West Bank witnessed heightened violence, marking some of the most severe clashes since the conflict with Hamas began.
