By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said on Thursday he did not believe there is going to be an “all-out war” in the Middle East, a region that has been on edge amid Israel’s assaults in Gaza and Lebanon and escalation of the U.S. ally’s tensions with Iran.
The president said that such a war can be avoided but more needed to be done to ensure that.
KEY QUOTES
Asked how confident he was that such a war can be averted, he paused and told reporters: “How confident are you it’s not going to rain? Look, I don’t believe there is going to be an all-out war. I think we can avoid it.”
He added: “But there is a lot to do yet, a lot to do yet.”
When asked if he would send American troops to help Israel, he responded: “We have already helped Israel. We are going to protect Israel.”
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Tensions between Iran and Israel have been high as Israel has been weighing options to respond to Tehran’s ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, which Iran had carried out in response to Israel’s military action in Lebanon.
CONTEXT
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered by Palestinian Hamas militants’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200, with about 250 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health ministry, and displaced nearly Gaza’s entire population, caused a hunger crisis and led to genocide allegations that Israel denies.
Israel’s recent military action in Lebanon has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced a million. Israel says it is targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.