Biden phones Netanyahu; leaders to stay in 'close contact' as Israel vows Iran attack

Biden and Netanyahu agree to stay in close contact amid Iran tensions, emphasizing minimizing harm to civilians.

Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu agreed Wednesday (October 9, 2024) to stay in "close contact" as Israel mulls its response to Iran, with the U.S. President also urging the Israeli premier to "minimise" harm to civilians in Lebanon, the White House said.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu's call was their first in nearly two months and came amid mounting pressure from Washington not to strike Iran's oil or nuclear facilities less than four weeks before the U.S. presidential election.

A White House readout of the call did not directly mention possible retaliation for an Iranian missile strike on Israel last week but said Mr. Biden had condemned Tehran's attack "unequivocally" and pledged "ironclad" support for Israel.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu "agreed to remain in close contact over the coming days, both directly and through their national security teams," the readout said, adding that Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris also joined the call.

The call came as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who had been due to discuss Israel's response in Washington on Wednesday before the last-minute postponement of his visit by Mr. Netanyahu, pledged on Wednesday: "Our attack on Iran will be deadly, precise and surprising."

Mr. Biden and Mr. Netanyahu also discussed Israel's offensive against Iranian ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, the White House said.

The U.S. president "reaffirmed" Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah rocket attacks "while emphasising the need to minimise harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut," it said.