President Joe Biden had planned to tout “Bidenomics” in Colorado on Monday, but that trip was put on hold as the president remains in Washington amid growing signs that the war between Israel and Hamas soon will escalate.
The Times of Israel reported Sunday that Israeli ground commanders were being flown over the Gaza Strip to see for themselves the territory that the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday would soon be the target of a “coordinated attack from the air, sea and land.”
Biden’s visit was postponed only a few hours before he was scheduled to leave Washington, according to The Associated Press.
The president will be holding meetings on the situation in the Middle East, in which Israel has said it will invade Gaza, with Iran and the terrorist group Hezbollah uttering threats of action if it does.
President Joe Biden has postponed today’s trip to Colorado to stay in Washington and focus on the growing conflict in the Middle East. https://t.co/gVueBFHEVw
— Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) October 16, 2023
Bloomberg News’ Jennifer Jacobs reported Biden would be staying in D.C. for “national security meetings.”
White House says Biden’s Colorado visit today is “postponed.” He’s staying in DC for national security meetings, as the Israel-Hamas war continues. https://t.co/kCTvyab9Do
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 16, 2023
Talk emerged over the weekend that he might visit Israel this week, according to Axios.
The Times of Israel reported Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited the U.S. president for a “solidarity visit.”
No decision had been announced Monday morning, but Israel War Room reported Biden would travel to Israel on Wednesday.
The expected date of US President Biden’s visit is Wednesday, October 18. https://t.co/UalOy36Avz
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) October 16, 2023
The Biden administration expressed worries that Israel’s invasion of Gaza could trigger a wider war.
“We can’t rule out that Iran would choose to get directly engaged some way,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
“We have to prepare for every possible contingency,” he said, noting that two carrier strike groups have been sent to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
The U.S. “can’t rule out that Iran would choose to get directly engaged some way” in the Israel-Gaza conflict, says @JakeSullivan46.
He says the U.S. has been “communicating privately with Iran” over the past few days for diplomatic outreach. pic.twitter.com/eVDKWOpLbQ
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) October 15, 2023
“Moving the two carriers into the region sends a very strong signal,” retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, former commander of the U.S. Central Command, said on “Face the Nation.”
“This is ample historical evidence that Iran respects the flow of combat force into the theater. It does affect their decision calculus,” he said.
“The potential for it to spread not only to Lebanon but beyond Lebanon is very high,” Martin S. Indyk, a former ambassador to Israel and Middle East special envoy, told The New York Times.
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“That’s why you see the administration so actively engaged in trying to fend them off, which they normally wouldn’t have to do if there hadn’t been such a big blow to Israel’s deterrence,” he said, referring to the total surprise achieve by Hamas in its attack that killed more than 1,300 people.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has been meeting with various Iranian allies, including Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Times reported.
After their meeting, Hamas spokesman Khalil al-Hayya said Iran and Hamas had agreed to create “a wider front against Israel,” the report said, citing IRNA, Iran’s state news agency.
“In my meetings with the heads of the resistance, I learned that when the time comes to answer these crimes, it will determine and change the current map of the occupied territories,” Amir Abdollahian said.
In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Biden said Israel, which left Gaza in 2005, should not reoccupy it permanently.
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“I think it’d be a big mistake. … Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake to, for Israel to occupy Gaza again,” he said.
