The United States is renewing efforts to push through a stalled funding package for Israel despite stressing it will not help with any counteroffensive measures against Iran. U.S. President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call late on Sunday that the U.S. would not take part in any retaliatory action in response to Iran\u2019s air attack the previous day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the U.S. president joining global calls for restraint, the rising tensions in the Middle East look set to accelerate approval of a stalled funding package that would see Washington hand Netanyahu $14 billionn in aid. \u201cWe believe Israel has freedom of action to protect itself and defend itself \u2026 That\u2019s a longstanding policy and that remains, but no, we would not envision ourselves participating in such a thing,\u201d a senior US administration official said on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Iranian attack, which came in response to a strike \u2013 as yet unclaimed by Israel \u2013 on Iran\u2019s embassy in Syria on April 1st, saw more than 300 missiles and drones launched towards Israel. However, it caused only modest damage, with most shot down by Israel, with help from the U.S., the United Kingdom, France and Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel\u2019s five-member war cabinet, which met on Sunday evening, is reported to favor retaliation. However, division over the timing and scale of any response is said to persist. In a statement issued late on Saturday, Biden said he had told Netanyahu that Israel had \u201cdemonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks\u201d. However, he did not reveal if Israel\u2019s response was discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John Kirby, the White House\u2019s top national security spokesperson, sought to set out the US position clearly in an interview on the NBC channel on Sunday. \u201cOur commitment is ironclad\u201d to defending Israel and to \u201chelping Israel defend itself\u201d, he said, before adding: \u201cAs the president has said many times, we don\u2019t seek a wider war in the region. We don\u2019t seek a war with Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the escalation of the low-level conflict that has been bubbling through Israel\u2019s six-month bombardment of Gaza appears set to see U.S. lawmakers push through a funding package that has been stalled. Following a new plea from Biden, Republican lawmaker and House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that he will try to advance the $95 billion package of wartime aid for U.S. allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson has been key in holding up approval of the national security package, which would hand $14bn to Israel and about $60 billion to Ukraine, as well as sending funds to allies in Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson told Fox News Channel\u2019s Sunday Morning Futures that he and Republicans \u201cunderstand the necessity of standing with Israel\u201d and he would try this week to advance the aid. \u201cThe details of that package are being put together right now,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at the options and all these supplemental issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson is already under immense political pressure amid the Republican Party\u2019s divided support for helping Kyiv defend itself from Russia\u2019s invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kirby called on the speaker to put that package \u201con the floor as soon as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t need any reminders in terms of what\u2019s going on in Ukraine,\u201d Kirby said. \u201cBut [Saturday night\u2019s Iranian attack] certainly underscores significantly the threat that Israel faces in a very, very tough neighbourhood.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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