President Joe Biden said Monday that he did not want the Middle East conflict to “spread” and reiterated his demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“The United States is committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict from spreading,” Biden said in the Oval Office before his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shyaa Al-Sudani.
“The United States is committed” to Israel’s security, he added.
“The United States is committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict from spreading,” President Joe Biden said of the Middle East.
Biden has focused on preventing the war in the Middle East from escalating after Iran attacked Israel on Saturday.
He has also been pushing for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip so that hostages can be freed and humanitarian aid can enter the region.
Complicating matters was Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend. Biden’s meeting with the Iraqi prime minister was scheduled long before Tehran fired more than 300 missiles at Tel Aviv.
The United States has had a military presence in Iraq for two decades. On Saturday night, a US Patriot battery in Irbil, Iraq, shot down at least one Iranian ballistic missile, according to US officials.
The United States helped shoot down dozens of missiles and drones to defend Israel.
However, Iranian proxies have initiated attacks against American interests throughout the Middle East from inside Iraq. Those ongoing attacks have made discussions between the United States and Iraq over regional stability and the future deployment of American troops even more critical.
“Our partnership is critical to our nations, the Middle East and the world,” Biden told al-Sudani, as the Iraqi leader noted that the discussion comes at a “sensitive time.”
Meanwhile, the White House said Monday that Iran “completely failed” in its attack on Israel as it tries to persuade Israel’s war cabinet not to retaliate for the 350-missile bombardment amid fears the conflict could escalate. in an all-out war in the Middle East. .
The White House has emphasized that President Biden is putting pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to win.
‘The president, in his conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu, praised the amazing success they had in shooting down a vast, vast majority of the missiles and drones fired at them. “Very few hits, no casualties,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on NBC’s Today show.
‘It was an incredible achievement. And he urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to consider the impact of that great success not only on Israel’s military superiority but also on the fact that Iran had failed miserably in what they tried to do.
Smoke rises and billows over settlements after the Israeli attack east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.
US President Joe Biden meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the Oval Office
Biden faces increasing pressure to contain the crisis, with defense experts saying the president has allowed the conflict in Gaza to spread and the expanding battle lines risk drawing in allies, including the United States. Joined.
The Israeli government said it is discussing new measures.
Kirby said Monday morning that it was unclear what Israel would ultimately do.
“We don’t have any indication that they’ve made a decision,” he said on ABC’s Good Morning America, “or what they might do.” Obviously, this is for them to decide and talk to them.”
And Kirby told the Today Show: ‘The president made it clear to Prime Minister Netanyahu the other night that there was a lot to be proud of in terms of military success. The president has been very clear in multiple forums that we are not seeking war with Iran. “We don’t want to see a broader war in the region.”
Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday in response to a drone strike in Syria that killed 12 Iranians, including two top generals.
The Israeli defense forces – along with coalition partners including the United States, the United Kingdom, Jordan and France – shot down 99% of those aerial missiles.
Biden spoke with Netanyahu in a late-night phone call on Saturday and made clear that U.S. forces would no longer be involved.
The president has urged Netanyahu not to respond to the attacks with retaliation against Iran.
‘You have a victory. “Take victory,” Biden reportedly told Netanyahu.
A woman stands in the rubble in front of a collapsed building on the eastern side of the Maghazi camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s war cabinet favors a reaction, but is divided over the timing and scale of such a response, according to reports.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is coordinating a diplomatic response to the Iranian attack aimed at preventing further escalation.
“Strength and wisdom must be two sides of the same coin,” Blinken said in what appears to be a message to Israel.