President Biden cut short a weekend trip to his Delaware beach house and returned to the White House to monitor the Middle East crisis amid concerns about an imminent attack on Israel by Iran.
The White House said Biden left Rehoboth Beach a day earlier than scheduled to consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East.
Biden said Friday that he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner or later,” as the country continues to promise retaliation for the Damascus consulate attack.
“I don’t want to touch on safe information, but my expectations are [is] “Sooner or later,” Biden told reporters, “we are dedicated to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will protect Israel and help defend it, but Iran will not succeed. right.”
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The United States and other countries have blamed Israel for the attack on the Damascus consulate, but no Israeli official has acknowledged responsibility for the attack, which killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Marine One carrying U.S. President Joe Biden approaches the landing zone at Gordon’s Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, April 12, 2024. (Brendan Smailowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday to discuss urgent threats in the region, according to a document presented to reporters by Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
According to the statement, Mr. Austin told Israeli officials that Israel could count on the full support of the United States in the event of an Iranian or regional proxy attack.
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US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also met with his Israeli counterpart and reiterated America’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security.
U.S. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 12, 2024, before departing for Rehoboth, Delaware, where he will spend the weekend. (Samuel Corum/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran continues to promise retaliation for the attack on the consulate, and tensions appeared to escalate further on Saturday when Revolutionary Guard troops seized the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries. Iranian authorities claimed the ship was owned by Israelis, but the United States disputed this, saying it belonged to a British company.
View of US President Joe Biden’s summer home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA, February 1, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
NSC spokesperson Adrian Watson said in a statement that “we strongly condemn Iran’s seizure of the Portuguese-flagged, British-owned MSC AIRES in international waters,” but Iran offered no explanation for the seizure. “The crew consists of Indians, Filipinos, Pakistanis, Russians and Estonians.”
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“We call on Iran to immediately release the ship and its international crew,” Watson insisted. “Seizing a civilian vessel without provocation is a blatant violation of international law and an act of piracy by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated foreign terrorist organization.”
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He added: “It must be unequivocally condemned. We will work with our partners to hold Iran accountable for its actions.”
Iran reportedly told U.S. officials earlier this week that it would seek a de-escalatory response without providing more specific details.
