WASHINGTON, August 2. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden has demanded that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stop the escalation of tensions in the Middle East, the Axios news portal reported, citing sources.
According to the sources, Biden "privately demanded in a ‘tough’ call Thursday" that Netanyahu "stop escalating tensions in the region and move immediately toward a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal" with the radical Palestinian movement Hamas. The sources note that Biden and his top aides "are deeply frustrated by the fallout" from the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the elimination of Hezbollah top military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
The news outlet stressed that the US officials "don’t mourn" these deaths but "feel that Netanyahu kept Biden in the dark over his plans to carry out the assassinations." According to the sources, in a phone conversation, Biden expressed his displeasure with Israel’s current policy course.
"Biden then told Netanyahu the US will help Israel defeat an Iranian attack, but after that he expects no more escalation from the Israeli side and immediate movement toward a hostage deal," Axios said. According to the news portal, "Biden also warned Netanyahu that if he escalates again, he shouldn't count on the US to bail him out."
Earlier, Lieutenant General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, asserted that Tehran and its regional allies were determined to take revenge on Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that the United States was preparing to send additional combat aircraft to the Middle East amid rising tensions in the region. According to the newspaper, the plan stems from the possibility of an Iranian strike on Israel following the assassination of Haniyeh.
On July 31, Hamas said that Haniyeh had been killed in an Israeli strike targeting the residence he was staying at in Tehran, where he had arrived for the inauguration of the country's president-elect, Masoud Pezeshkian. The Al Hadath TV channel reported that Haniyeh was killed in a direct missile strike. Al Mayadeen said, citing a source, that the missile was launched "from another country, not "from the territory of Iran." Deputy Chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau Mousa Abu Marzook has warned that Haniyeh’s assassination will not go unanswered.
A source in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told TASS that the Israeli military is not commenting on Haniyeh's death. The Jerusalem Post said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had advised its ministers not to comment on this issue. The newspaper added that similar recommendations were issued for members of parliament.
Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani in a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted Tehran’s legitimate right to retaliate for the assassination.