US President Joe Biden is scheduled to discuss Middle East tensions with his national security team on Monday and meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, while Israeli leaders have warned they will exact a “heavy price” if attacked, amid concerns about potential retaliation by Iran or its proxies in the region.
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said at a press conference on Monday that Iran was “not trying to exacerbate tensions in the region,” but had the right to punish Israel after last week's attack that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Iran blamed Israel for Haniyeh's killing, which came hours after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed a commander of the militant group Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Iran and its proxies were trying to encircle Israel “in the grip of terrorism.”
“We are determined to confront them on every front and in every arena – near and far,” Netanyahu said. “Anyone who tries to harm us will pay a heavy price.”
On Monday (5/8) Turkey and Japan advised their citizens to leave Lebanon, joining the United States, France, Canada, Britain and Jordan in warning of potential danger.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi was in Iran on Sunday where he urged an end to the escalation. He urged the region to live in “peace, security and stability.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke Sunday with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, and reaffirmed “strong US support for Israel’s security and right to defend itself against threats from Iran” and Iranian proxies such as Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Yemen-based Houthis.
“They discussed U.S. force posture steps taken to enhance protection for U.S. forces, support the defense of Israel, and deter and defuse broader tensions in the region,” the Pentagon said in a statement.
The United States is moving an aircraft carrier group and more air assets to the region, in a move the Pentagon announced Friday.
Jonathan Finer, deputy adviser to the White House National Security Council, told CBS television’s “Face the Nation,” “Our goal is de-escalation. Our goal is deterrence. Our goal is to defend Israel.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Sunday with G7 foreign ministers to discuss the urgent need to defuse tensions in the Middle East.
A State Department spokesperson said Blinken and his counterparts “reaffirmed their commitment to Israel’s security and urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint to prevent an escalation of the conflict.”
The Israeli military said Monday it carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon in response to Hezbollah launching drones in a cross-border attack.
Hezbollah says it used drones to target Israeli military bases.
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading near-daily attacks since the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza nearly 10 months ago.
Israel has vowed to crush Hamas in retaliation for its Oct. 7 terror attack that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Israel's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 39,600 people in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Haniyeh, Hamas' political chief, was the group's main negotiator in efforts to reach an elusive cease-fire deal. His killing raised questions about the viability of efforts by Qatari, Egyptian and U.S. mediators to broker a truce and an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinians jailed by Israel. (lt/uh)
