- President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he had warned Iran to be “cautious” amid attacks on Israel by the militant organization Hamas over the weekend.
- After listing the aid the U.S. is sending to Israel, Biden said he had “made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful.”
- U.S. intelligence showed that Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas’ attack on Israel, sources told NBC News, but the Biden administration has not yet reached a final conclusion.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at a roundtable with Jewish community leaders in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House on October 11, 2023.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday he has warned Iran to be “cautious” amid attacks on Israel by the militant group Hamas over the weekend.
After listing the aid the U.S. is sending to Israel and noting that a U.S. aircraft fleet has been deployed to the territory, Biden said he had “made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful.”
U.S. intelligence showed that Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas’ attack on Israel, sources told NBC News, but the Biden administration has not yet reached a final conclusion. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that Iran was “complicit” in the attack because it has supported Hamas for decades.
The president made his remarks Wednesday at a roundtable of Jewish leaders at the White House. The event on anti-Semitism was planned before the attacks, but subsequently took on a different tone.
Biden said he spoke again with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday morning. During the call, he stressed that Israel must “act according to the rules of war.”
“I have known Bibi for over 40 years. We have a very open relationship. I know him well,” Biden said. “And the only thing I said is that it is really important that Israel, with all the anger and frustration that there is, abides by the rules of war. And there are rules.”
Biden said he believes the Israeli government is “doing everything in its power to bring the country together” and that the U.S. is doing everything in its power to ensure Israel succeeds.
The president called the attacks “a campaign of pure cruelty.”
“I would argue it is the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” Biden said.