President Joe Biden landed in Israel on Wednesday morning for a visit intended to reassure all sides, but found the regional crisis worsening by the hour.
He hugged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of his trip, a public show of solidarity with the Israeli leader as his country mourns the more than 1,300 people killed in a terrorist attack.
But underscoring how much is at stake, the Israeli military said rocket sirens blared in a village near Gaza just as Air Force One touched down.
Biden arrives at a hospital in Gaza after a massive explosion that caused hundreds more deaths. Israelis and Palestinians blamed each other for the attack, sparking street protests across the Middle East.
Plans to fly to Jordan to meet with key Arab leaders and the Jordanian king were abandoned before his departure.
And aboard Air Force One, he would have learned that his forces in Iraq were under attack by drones in the early hours of the morning, an attack that was reportedly foiled by U.S. troops.
President Joe Biden is greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives on Israeli soil Wednesday morning. He finds himself in the middle of a growing storm
Biden’s visit was partly intended to ease tensions, but protests in the region only increased as the US president boarded Air Force One en route to Israel
Officials tried to put a brave face on the cancellation of the Jordan leg, which was scheduled to include a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
They denied that Biden only learned they were withdrawing when he was already in the motorcade heading to Air Force One.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby insisted that Biden, in a conversation with the country’s king, agreed that postponing the jump to Jordan was the right thing to do.
“Of course he would always prefer personal diplomacy. “This is the president’s tools,” he said.
“But after the explosion in the hospital, it was also clear to him that this wasn’t the right thing to do – especially not for the managers there.”
He said Abbas had to mourn at home for three days.
Every trip to the Middle East carries a risk for an American president. This time, Biden finds himself in the middle of a geopolitical maelstrom.
Israel is preparing for an expected ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, seeking to destroy the militant group Hamas, which carried out terror attacks that killed at least 1,300 people.
At the same time, Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah based on Israel’s northern border, are making angry noises.
The State Department increased its travel warning for Lebanon, citing the missile exchange between Hezbollah and Israel. After news of the hospital strike spread, protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, further escalating tensions.
Bodies of victims of the Al-Ahli hospital strike are seen lined up in a courtyard on Tuesday
According to the Palestinian authorities, 500 people were killed in the attack on Al-Ahli Hospital on Tuesday (pictured).
People stand in front of the fire that broke out outside the security gate during clashes between protesters and security forces outside the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon
The unrest causes plans for Biden to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (left to right) to be scrapped. Biden will not travel from Israel to Jordan
White House officials said Biden’s mission was clear: stand with Israel while warning other actors to stay out of the conflict and help improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza, while pushing for the release of hostages to use.
But the strike at Al-Ahli Hospital, which may have killed up to 500 people, turned the tide of the visit and further heightened tensions.
Biden quickly demanded to know exactly what happened.
“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” he said in a White House statement.
“Immediately after hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and instructed my national security team to continue gathering information about exactly what happened.”
A failed rocket launch by the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad hit Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.
IAF footage from the area surrounding the hospital before and after the failed rocket launch by the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad: pic.twitter.com/AvCAkQULAf
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 18, 2023
The IDF shared raw footage showing the moment a rocket misfired and exploded at the same time it hit the hospital in Gaza, killing 500 people
President Joe Biden was spotted boarding Air Force One on Tuesday evening. He landed in Israel on Wednesday morning amid a worsening crisis
Israel was quick to blame but denied that one of its missiles caused the explosion.
The Israel Defense Forces shared raw footage that it said revealed the moment a rocket misfired and exploded while simultaneously hitting the hospital in Gaza.
“A rocket aimed at Israel misfired and exploded at 6:59 p.m. – the same moment a hospital in Gaza was hit,” the IDF wrote on Twitter.
The video shows a rocket exploding in the air before sinking into the depths.
With Arab meetings canceled, Biden now risks that his visit will appear to be just an opportunity to make clear that he is on Israel’s side.
Kirby insisted Biden would do more than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help.
“He’s going to ask some tough questions, he’s going to ask them as a friend, as a true friend of Israel, but he’s going to ask them some questions,” Kirby said.
In a sign of what could come next, officials described how U.S. forces foiled a drone strike in Iraq.
The unilateral attack drones were intercepted as they attempted to attack al-Asad airbase, where American troops are stationed, the officials told Portal.
They did not say who they believed was behind the attack.