 "US President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, July 25, 2024. Reuters File")
US President Joe Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris had a 50-minute telephonic conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report, citing the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now in conversation with the President of the United States Joe Biden, at the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem,” AFP quoted Netanyahu’s office as saying earlier in a statement.
According to a Times of Israel report, Netanyahu was joined by diplomatic adviser Ophir Falk, Military Secretary Roman Gofman, Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, and deputy head of National Security Council Gil Reich, among other advisers.
The conversation comes as Israel prepares a response to Iran’s missile attack last week.
Netanyahu and Biden last spoke on August 21, according to a White House statement.
Discussions are set to cover Israel’s plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran, following Iran’s missile attacks on Israel on October 1, which were a response to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has claimed that Israel also eliminated Nasrallah’s likely successor.
Harris, who is running against former President Donald Trump in November, is seen as a less fervent ally of Netanyahu compared to President Biden. However, there is no indication that a Harris administration would halt financial and military support for Israel.
Biden has expressed concerns about any Israeli actions against Iran escalating into a broader Middle Eastern crisis. Iran has vowed to retaliate against any Israeli strike, with reports indicating that Tehran’s military has developed at least ten potential response scenarios.
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