President Biden and Vice President Harris are scheduled to meet with national security officials in the White House Situation Room on Monday as Iran reiterates its intention to punish Israel for the apparent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
The White House said the talks would focus on developments in the Middle East, where Haniyeh’s assassination has raised concerns about escalating regional conflict.
Israel has not acknowledged the attack on Iran, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed revenge against Israel after Haniyeh’s death.
Attacks by Iran and Iran-backed Hezbollah militias could happen as early as Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Group of Seven leaders in a conference call on Sunday. Axios reportedHe made the remarks, citing three sources briefed on the call.
Axios added that the call came as a last-minute attempt to urge Iran and Hezbollah to limit their attacks as much as possible to prevent all-out war.
The G7 nations have urged Iran to minimize retaliation to prevent a regional war. Bloomberg reportedHe said this citing a source close to the matter.
According to Bloomberg, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry told reporters on Monday that Iran does not want to escalate tensions but has the right to punish Israel within the framework of international law.
“Enhancing stability and security in the region will be achieved by punishing aggressors and building a deterrent against Israel and its adventurism,” the spokesman told Bloomberg.
Haniyeh’s death came a week after tensions were already rising in the region following Israel’s killing of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah’s top military leader, Fouad Shukr, in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Several foreign policy experts suggested last week that the deaths of militant leaders were sure to escalate already-rising tensions, just over three months after Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel with hundreds of missiles and drones.
Meanwhile, some experts told The Hill that Tehran may not have the resources to repeat April’s large-scale attacks on Israel and may instead respond through proxies, including Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday that Israel is already in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its proxies. Tensions have been rising since Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern Israel in early October, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping around 250.
Israel has since waged war in Gaza, leaving some 40,000 people dead, but Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate the Hamas threat. Israel has also faced rocket attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon over the past 10 months.
“We are doing everything we can to prevent this situation from escalating,” White House Deputy National Security Adviser John Finer told ABC News on Sunday.
