Biden and Netanyahu speak as Israel continues strikes in northern Gaza
Netanyahu and Biden spoke over the phone on Wednesday in their first conversation in weeks, ITV News International Editor Emma Murphy reports from the Lebanese capital, Beirut
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden spoke over the phone on Wednesday, as tensions reach boiling point in the Middle East.
Netanyahu instructed his defence minister, Yoav Gallant, to "postpone his trip" to Washington, wanting to speak with Biden himself ahead of the planned visit.
The phone call between Biden and Netanyahu was the first between the pair in two months - with the US hoping to curb major attacks escalating into an all-out regional war.
Vice President Kamala Harris also joined, according to the White House.
“It was direct, it was productive,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who added that the leaders discussed a long list of issues on the call, including Israel's deliberations on how it will respond to Iran.
Israel's security cabinet is due to meet on Thursday to vote on how to respond to Iran's recent attack on the country, an official told ITV News' US partner CNN.
While Israel is yet to reveal its plan, the country's defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said during a speech to troops on Wednesday: "Our strike will be lethal, precise and above all, surprising. They won’t understand what happened and how. They will see the results."
It comes a week after Iran launched around 180 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Many were intercepted, but two Israeli airbases sustained damage. Iranian forces conducted the attacks in response to Israeli assassinations on Hamas and Hezbollah officials.
The Biden administration has made it clear that it opposes an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, which could further escalate regional tensions.
Meanwhile, Gaza's health ministry said an airstrike on the northern city of Jabaliya on Wednesday has killed at least nine people, including two women and two children.
Heavy fighting is underway in the city since the latest operation by the Israeli military began on Sunday.
According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 40 bodies have been recovered from Jabaliya between Sunday and Tuesday.
Another set of strikes in central Gaza killed another nine people, including three children, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
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Hezbollah fired another barrage of rockets into Israel on Tuesday evening, and the militant group’s acting leader vowed to keep up pressure that has forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border.
The Israeli military said it sent more ground troops into southern Lebanon and that a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an airstrike.
Dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah were aimed as far south as Haifa, and the Israeli government warned residents north of the coastal city to limit activities, prompting the closure of more schools.
Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's acting leader, said its military capabilities remain intact after weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon, and attacks that killed its top commanders in a matter of days.
He said Israeli forces have not been able to advance since launching a ground incursion into Lebanon last week.
In a statement addressed to the people of Lebanon, Netanyahu called Hezbollah “weaker than it has been for many, many years.”
He added: “We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself, and Nasrallah’s replacement, and the replacement of his replacement,” but without naming them.
Hezbollah fighters have also clashed with the Israeli forces near the border town of Naqoura, where United Nations peacekeepers are currently stationed.
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