WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu On Wednesday they held their first phone call in seven weeks, a conversation that will come soon Israel expands its ground invasion of Lebanon and considers how to respond to Iran’s recent ballistic missile attack.
Vice President Kamala Harris joined the call, according to the White House.
Netanyahu’s office, meanwhile, confirmed that the prime minister had recently spoken with former President Donald Trump. The Republican, who is in the midst of a close White House race against Harris, called Netanyahu last week and “congratulated him on the intense and determined operations that Israel carried out against Hezbollah,” Netanyahu’s office said.
“World leaders want to speak and meet with President Trump because they know he will soon return to the White House and restore peace around the world,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who is a Trump ally, said in a statement on the call. Senator Trump, did. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C., joined.
Israel has discussed how to respond to Iranian rocket fire from October 1, which the United States helped repel. Biden said last week that he would not support a retaliatory strike by Israel on sites linked to Tehran nuclear program.
Israel’s other choices range from a largely symbolic attack – similar to how Israel responded after Iran launched missiles and attacked drones in April – to hit oil facilities and other infrastructure.
Since the leaders’ last call, Israel has waged a brutal campaign of sabotage and assassination against the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, where the militant group has continued to fire missiles, rockets and drones into Israel.
Israel is now doing what it has described itself limited ground operations across the northern border with Lebanon to dig up Hezbollah. Air strikes killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and decimated his leadership.
Thousands of explosives last month hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah was detonated, killing dozens of people and maiming thousands of people, including many civilians. Israel is widely believed to be behind the attack
The US has one increased troop presence in the regionto defend the interests of Israel and the US in the Middle East. Washington has been increasingly vocal with Israeli officials about the need to stay informed about their decision-making to ensure the protection of U.S. forces.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, but the Israelis postponed the visit, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said.
The Biden-Netanyahu took place a day after revelations by a journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, “War” in which Biden has privately expressed his frustration and distrust of the Israeli leader.
The president privately unleashed a profanity-laden tirade, calling him a “son of a bitch” and a “bad guy,” according to the book.
Biden said that, in Woodward’s accounting, he felt Netanyahu had “lied to him on a regular basis.” While Netanyahu “keeps saying he would kill every member of Hamas.” Woodward wrote: “Biden told him this was impossible, and threatened both privately and publicly to stop the offensive US arms shipment.”
The White House declined to comment.
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Goldenberg reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
