As tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East, President Joe Biden affirmed his support for Israel on a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, The Hill reported.
On the call, Biden said the U.S. was committed to Israel's security against threats from Iran and the groups Iran supports — Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, according to a White House readout of the call. Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democrat nominee for president, joined the call, the White House said.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu vowed Israel will strike "crushing blows" against the Iranian regime and its "axis of evil," namely Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
Twelve children were killed by a rocket strike Saturday in northern Israel in the Golan Heights district.
Israel has blamed Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon and funded by Iran, though Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack. The bombing is the deadliest in Israel since Iranian-backed Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran early Wednesday. Though the strike on Haniyeh is widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government did not claim responsibility and said it would not comment on the killing.
Israel's military announced late Tuesday that it had killed Fuad Shukr, whom it named as Hezbollah's most senior commander and whom it blamed for the rocket attack.
Biden and Harris discussed with Netanyahu efforts to support Israel's defense against threats, including ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defense U.S. military deployment, the White House said.
"Together with this commitment to Israel's defense, the President stressed the importance of ongoing efforts to de-escalate broader tensions in the region," the White House said.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.