Washington, DC—According to a White House statement issued on 11 May 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed his full commitment to Israel in a telephone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two leaders discussed their differing understandings about potential military action in Gaza and Lebanon as well as possible diplomatic ways forward.

In their first publicized discussion since August, Biden told Netanyahu he is committed to Israel’s security in an “ironclad” way. On the call was Vice President Kamala Harris, a candidate in the following U.S. presidential election. A White House statement said Biden condemned Iran’s ballistic missile attack against Israel in recent days—the ballistic missile attack on October 1.

Regional issues were also broadly discussed in connection with broader regional interests, particularly in the wake of Israeli military attacks against Iran amidst the threat of Iranian missile attacks on Israeli military installations. Iran attacked in retaliation over the killings of key figures in recent weeks, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah.

While the Biden administration condemned Iran’s activities, the U.S. president clarified that he doesn’t support Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. In addition, Biden advised against attacking the Iranian oil fields because such actions would have severe global economic implications, especially on oil prices.

The Biden administration has been pushing efforts to prevent the casualties of civilians in Lebanon despite supporting Israel’s military actions against Lebanon, which included a ground invasion of the country’s south. The U.S. president appealed to Netanyahu to seek diplomatic solutions to the Lebanon crisis as he expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Beirut and other parts of the country. So far, more than 2,000 have died, and more than a million people have been displaced due to the conflict in Lebanon.

Despite the concern of Washington over escalating war any further, Joe Biden has remained attached to his policy supporting Israel’s right to defend itself from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles into Israel in the last few months. However, the U.S. State Department said that the work to find a way for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is no longer of much priority because the Lebanese militant group seems to be “on the back foot.”

The persistent Gaza conflict has all the more sealed up Israel’s military campaign by causing over 42,000 Palestinian deaths, leaving significant damage and humanitarian conditions at unprecedented levels. On this count, the Biden administration tasked Israeli officials with permitting food, water, and more life essentials into Gaza, ensuring that Israel had a mandatory obligation under international humanitarian law to comply.

The U.S. continues to be one of the very closest allies of Israel, with an annual military aid budget of at least $3.8 billion. Just last year, the Biden administration cleared another $14 billion in aid to help support the ongoing war efforts of Israel.

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