US President Joe Biden is “deeply suspicious” of Israeli PM Netanyahu and has referred to him as a “bad fucking guy” in private according to sources, reported Politico. However, the White House firmly denied these claims. Joe Biden spokesperson, Andrew Bates safeguarding the President said, “The president did not say that, nor would he,” reported Politico. He further added, that the two leaders have “a decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private.”
Also read: ‘Just the beginning’: US vows ‘further action’ in Middle East after retaliatory strikes on Houthis in Iraq, Syria
Moreover, US support for Israel in the Israel-Hamas War has cost Joe Biden millions of votes with young liberals in the upcoming 2024 general election, stated Politico’s report. The report further claimed that Joe Biden is fearful that Israeli PM Netanyahu is looking forward to pushing the US into a wider war in the Middle East. The motives behind this would be to ensure the supply of American weaponry and consistent financial to Israel.
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Earlier this week, the US President talked about hate crimes and discrimination against Arab Americans while speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast. He expressed his sympathies for those “held hostage or under bombardment or displaced” and sensitised against hate crimes.
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The Biden administration pledged to undertake more strikes against Iran’s forces and its proxies in the Middle East following three straight days of dozens of air strikes in the region. These strikes followed the death of three US soldiers who were killed in a drone strike in Jordan.
On February 2, US strikes hit 85 targets in Iraq and Syria. US strikes, on February 3, targeted Yemen-based Houthis who have disrupted global trade by targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea. These Houthis stand in support of Palestinians in war-torn Gaza.
Also read: Yemen’s Houthis vow response after airstrikes by US, UK: ‘These attacks will not…’
On February 5, US Central Command said its forces conducted strikes in self-defence against at least five Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles “prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea.” US forces also conducted a strike against a Houthi land-attack cruise missile, the Central Command added.
Also read: US, UK launch strikes against Iran-linked Houthis in Yemen to end missile, drone attacks in Red Sea
White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan said, “We will respond forcefully, and we will respond in a sustained way,” on CBS’s news program Face the Nation . Jake Sullivan added, that President Joe Biden doesn’t see the US action in the last three days as “some open-ended military campaign,” reported Bloomberg.
One senior administration US official said the US assessment so far is that the strikes in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria have been effective in degrading the groups’ capabilities and their ability to resupply their weapons, reported Bloomberg. He also mentioned that Joe Biden isn’t getting pulled deeper into the Middle East conflict.
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Published: 05 Feb 2024, 10:42 AM IST