IRIA News

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U.S. President Joe Biden held a 50-minute phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 9, 2024, with Israeli plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran topping the agenda. This was the first time since August that the two leaders had a one-on-one conversation.

The call took place just a day after Netanyahu unexpectedly postponed the Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s planned trip to Washington, a move that underscores growing friction between the long-time allies.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was scheduled to meet with Gallant at the Pentagon on Wednesday to discuss Israel’s response to the nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran toward Israel on October 1. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu delayed the trip to hold a crucial conversation with Biden before the visit.

The U.S. has been expressing deep concern over Israel’s military actions in recent weeks, urging restraint amid fears of escalating tensions in the region. Biden has publicly warned Israel against striking Iranian nuclear sites and advised any retaliation to be “proportional.”

He has also called for Israel to explore “alternatives” to targeting Iran’s oil infrastructure. This move could have devastating consequences by potentially closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global crude oil shipments.

Despite the urging for caution, Israeli officials remain resolute in their plans. Speaking to Israeli military intelligence staff on Wednesday, Gallant promised a “deadly, precise, and most of all surprising” strike against Iran. “They won’t get what happened and how; they will just see the consequences,” Gallant vowed.

The Biden administration’s influence on Israel has been limited in recent months. Washington has repeatedly pushed Israel to minimize civilian harm and facilitate greater humanitarian aid in Gaza, where local authorities report over 42,000 deaths since the conflict began a year ago. In Lebanon, where Israel launched a ground invasion on September 30, the death toll has surpassed 1,041, and over 1.2 million people have been displaced.

Increasing differences between Biden and Netanyahu

Tensions between Biden and Netanyahu have simmered for months. According to several journalists, Biden privately referred to Netanyahu as a “fucking liar” after the Israeli military launched an operation in Rafah, Gaza. U.S. officials were concerned that the operation could result in significant casualties among the densely populated city’s 1.4 million Palestinian residents.

In a recently released book “War” journalist Bob Woodward reports that Biden regularly accused Netanyahu of having no strategy, and shouted “Bibi, what the fuck?” at him in July, after Israeli strikes near Beirut and in Iran.

According to the excerpts, during an April phone call, Biden asked Netanyahu: “What’s your strategy, man?” Netanyahu said Israel had to go into Rafah, the Gaza-Egypt border city that had become Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza.“Bibi, you’ve got no strategy,” responded Biden, according to Woodward.

Their differences have extended to the war in Gaza, with Biden repeatedly advocating for a cease-fire, while Netanyahu has resisted such calls. Biden expressed uncertainty last week about whether the Israeli prime minister was intentionally delaying a cease-fire to sway the U.S. election in favor of former President Donald Trump.

“No administration has helped Israel more than I have. None. None. None. And I think Bibi should remember that,” Biden said. “Whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know, but I’m not counting on that.”

Trump, who moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem during his administration, recently congratulated Netanyahu on Israel’s military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The sudden postponement of Gallant’s trip to Washington and the sensitive nature of the Biden-Netanyahu call highlights the ongoing diplomatic complexities between the U.S. and Israel. While the conversation was described as taking place in a “positive atmosphere” by an Israeli official, neither the White House nor the Prime Minister’s Office has released an official statement on the call.

Biden also emphasized the need to plan for the “day after” Israel’s ground operations in Lebanon, a signal of the U.S.’s concern over the broader regional impact of the conflict.

Meanwhile, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed the postponement of Gallant’s trip but declined to offer details, stating that the Pentagon would not engage in “Israeli politics.”