President Biden claims that a Middle East ceasefire agreement is closer than ever before.
Biden made the surprise announcement after signing a proclamation establishing a national memorial commemorating the Springfield Race Riot of 1908. He arrived fairly late to the live event.
“One of the reasons I was late to you is because I was dealing with ceasefire efforts in the Middle East,” Biden told guests and reporters in the Oval Office, “and we’re closer than we’ve ever been.”
Israel accuses Iran of smuggling weapons to Jordan as region braces for possible retaliatory attacks
Biden said a ceasefire in Israeli areas is closer than ever before. (Andrew Caballero Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“I don’t want to say anything ominous, but as my grandfather said, with God’s grace and a lot of luck, we might find something,” he continued, “but we’re not there yet. We’re a lot closer than we were three days ago.”
A senior Iranian security official said Iran will attack According to reports, Israel will suspend talks with Hamas on a ceasefire in Gaza if they fail.
Hamas refuses to attend Gaza ceasefire talks as Biden says deal ‘still possible’
Iranians burned an image of the Israeli flag in Enkheb-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in the Iranian capital, Tehran, during the funeral ceremony for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel. (Majid Saedi/Getty Images)
The official told Reuters that Iran and its allies, including Hezbollah, would also launch direct attacks on the Jewish state if they believed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was dragging its feet in negotiations with Palestinian terrorist groups.
Following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, Iran will not refrain from direct attacks on Israel unless Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire agreement, three senior Iranian officials said. He told Reuters. However, the news agency noted that the sources did not say how long Iran would allow the negotiations to proceed before deciding to take any action.
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After signing the proclamation, President Biden told attendees and reporters that his administration ” [they’ve] It has never participated in a Middle East ceasefire agreement before. (Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Hamas on Sunday Israel will not take part in new talks on a ceasefire in Gaza this week, which are due to resume on Thursday, unless mediators present a plan based on previous talks.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
