Biden calls national security task force as fears of an attack on Iran grow

US President Joe Biden met with his top national security team on Monday as concerns grow about a possible Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel.

Mr. Biden said he was informed of preparations to support Israel in the event of an attack, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said officials are working “night and day” to prevent escalation.

Tensions rose last week following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, for which Iran blamed Israel and vowed “severe” revenge. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the killings.

Many countries, including the US and UK, too he told their citizens leaving Lebanon, where it is feared that Hezbollah, a political force backed by Iran, could play a role in any response.

Mr Blinken told his G7 colleagues on the phone on Sunday that Iran and Hezbollah could attack Israel within 24 to 48 hours, according to sources cited by Israel. US news site Axios.

On Monday evening, Mr Biden said he and Vice President Kamala Harris met with senior security officials to discuss the situation.

“We received updates on the threats posed by Iran and its proxies, joint efforts to end regional tensions, and preparations to support Israel in the event of another attack,” he said in a post on X, previously on Twitter.

He also added that the measures taken to protect the US military and to respond to any attack on its personnel “in the way and at the place of our choice” are discussed, after that. several American personnel were injured at a military base in Iraq on Monday.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Mr Blinken said officials were “playing a key role in speaking around the clock with a simple message: All parties must avoid escalation”.

“Aggrandizement does not benefit anyone. It will create conflict, violence, and insecurity,” he said.

He added that the ceasefire “will open the possibility of lasting peace not only in Gaza itself, but also in other areas where the conflict may spread”.

“It is urgent that all parties take appropriate decisions in the coming hours and days,” he said.

His comments came after Mr Biden spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan earlier in the day. They discussed their “efforts to reduce regional tensions, including a ceasefire agreement and a hostage release agreement,” the White House said in a statement.

The G7 joint statement also expressed “deep concern at the rising level of tension in the Middle East which threatens to escalate a wider conflict in the region”.

“No country or nation will benefit from continued escalation in the Middle East,” he said.

Talks that had brought renewed hope for a ceasefire deal to end the conflict in Gaza have fizzled following Haniyeh’s death – capping a week of heightened tensions in the Middle East.

Things began to grow the killing of 12 children and teenagers in the strike in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights a few days ago. Israel blamed Hezbollah and vowed “severe” retaliation, although Hezbollah denied any involvement.

Days later, Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military commander, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in a suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Four others, including two children, were also killed.

And a few hours later, Haniyeh was killed in Iran.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Haniyeh was killed by a “powerful explosion” caused by a “short-range project” that was kicked out of the house he was staying in during a visit to the capital, Tehran.

Israel did not comment on the death but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said afterward that Israel had dealt “severe blows” to Iranian lawyers’ groups in recent days.

After the killings in Lebanon and Iran, the IRGC said Israel would receive “severe punishment at the right time, place and in the right way”, while Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the conflict had entered a “new phase”.

It marks the closest clash since April, there Iran shot down 300 drones and missiles in Israel when he responded to the Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria which killed a number of military commanders.

The conflict in Gaza began following Israel’s October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and other terrorist groups, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were returned to Gaza as hostages.

Since the launch of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, more than 38,400 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Hundreds of people have also been killed and tens of thousands driven from their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border in daily attacks between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.

On Monday, Jordan asked all planes planning to land at airports to carry an extra 45 minutes of fuel, a move believed to be a precautionary measure in case Jordan has to close its airport in the event of a regional conflict.

German flag carrier Lufthansa has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran, and Beirut until August 12.

American airline Delta has also temporarily suspended flights to Tel Aviv until at least 31 August “due to ongoing conflicts in the region”.

The Foreign Office is currently advising against all travel to Lebanon and has urged British citizens in the country to leave.

It also advises against all travel to the northern part of Israel that shares a border with Lebanon.

on monday, several American personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack on a US military base in western Iraq.

US officials have not said who they believe was attacked.