2023-10-07 18:50:00
The United States on Saturday condemned “the horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas” against Israel, assuring its ally of its unwavering support after a surprise offensive launched from the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Islamist movement.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “about the horrific attacks underway in Israel”, according to a White House statement.
He “warns any actor hostile to Israel who would seek to take advantage of the situation”, without further details, in a possible allusion to Iran and Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah.
The Islamic Republic also welcomed the “proud operation” launched by Hamas, as did the pro-Iranian Lebanese Shiite movement.
Mr. Biden, who will deliver a statement on this subject at 2:30 p.m. (6:30 p.m. GMT), according to the White House, added that Washington was “ready to offer all appropriate assistance to support the government and people of Israel.”
“The United States unequivocally condemns the horrific attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israel, including against civilians,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Neighboring Canada also “unreservedly condemns the terrorist attack currently being carried out against Israel” and “fully supports Israel and its right to defend itself”, affirmed its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while calling for the preservation of the lives of civilians.
Tensions between Biden and Netanyahu
At least 232 people were killed in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in Israeli retaliatory airstrikes, according to the Health Ministry of the Islamist movement, in power in the Palestinian enclave since 2007.
At least 70 people have died since the start of the Hamas offensive which fired thousands of rockets towards Israel, and whose fighters infiltrated Israeli localities, Israeli emergency services said.
The Israeli army acknowledged that “Israeli soldiers and civilians” had been kidnapped during these infiltrations.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Pentagon would ensure Israel had “what it needs to defend itself.” “Our commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself remains unwavering,” he insisted.
President Biden and his administration have been pushing for months for a normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, two of the United States’ oldest allies in the Middle East who share a concern over the development of Iran’s nuclear program.
American-Israeli relations have become significantly strained since the return to power in December 2022 of Benjamin Netanyahu, at the head of a government that Joe Biden described as “the most extreme” in the history of the country.
The American administration deplores the reform of the Israeli judicial system which it considers “undemocratic” and the continued Israeli colonization of Palestinian territories.
Since the start of the year, violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has intensified and had already claimed the lives before Saturday of at least 247 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian, according to an AFP count established from official sources.
07/10/2023 20:10:24 –
Washington (AFP) –
© 2023 AFP
#United #States #stands #Israel #face #horrific #attacks #Hamas