Washington: Agencies
US President Joe Biden, during a phone call, urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, while Israel continues to launch a brutal attack on the Gaza Strip, two administration officials and a former official told NBC News.
US officials said that Biden, in his conversation with Netanyahu, was more frank than in previous calls that the Israeli army should do its best to avoid civilian casualties.
Biden had made clear in a 10-minute speech, after his phone call with Netanyahu, that he stands with Israel and will commit to providing American military aid to protect the country from future attacks.
“Like every country in the world, Israel has the right and duty to respond to these vicious attacks,” Biden said, but added: “We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and safer when we act in accordance with the rule of law.”
In the same context, the US Department of Defense responded to a question about the possibility of sending a second aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, saying that the Pentagon will continue to evaluate options for deploying US forces in the Mediterranean.
A US Department of Defense spokesman said: “The Secretary of Defense will continue to analyze plans to deploy the Gerald Ford and Dwight Eisenhower aircraft carriers to maintain the necessary balance of naval capabilities in theaters of operations and support national security priorities.”
He indicated that the strike group led by Eisenhower would leave Virginia in the coming weeks, according to the schedule. The aircraft carrier will participate in maneuvers under the auspices of the US Military Command in Europe.
The US military stated earlier that the aircraft carrier "Gerald Ford" arrived in the eastern Mediterranean to deter any party seeking to escalate the situation or expand the conflict zone "to be ready to assist Israel."
Last Saturday, Hamas launched Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood,” during which Israel was targeted with several thousand missiles from the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian fighters also carried out specific operations.
In response, the Israeli army launched Operation Iron Swords, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Palestinians to leave Gaza, threatening to destroy the Hamas movement and turn Gaza into ruin.