- Sputnik International, 1920
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

White House Does Not Think Israel Crossed 'Red Line' With Rafah Operation – Reports

© AP Photo / Miriam AlsterUS President Joe Biden pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 18, 2023
US President Joe Biden pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 18, 2023 - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.05.2024
Subscribe
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The “limited” Israeli military operation in Rafah has not crossed President Joe Biden's “red line” and therefore has not yet led to any changes in the US administration's policy towards its closest ally in the Middle East, Axios reported, citing two American officials.
On Monday, Israel started a military operation in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the operation would disrupt the ongoing humanitarian assistance delivery to Gaza and that the Biden administration continues to oppose it.
Biden does not view the Israeli operation to capture the Rafah Gate crossing, which the IDF considers to be a key target and one of Hamas' main strategic sites in Gaza, as a “breaking point” in relations with Tel Aviv, the report said on Tuesday.
But this could change if the limited operation broadens or gets out of control and Israeli forces enter the city of Rafah itself, where more than one million Palestinian refugees are taking shelter, the officials reportedly said.
The US officials have also confirmed that the Biden administration is ready to suspend weapons shipments to Israel or at least condition the use of specific US weapons systems if the Netanyahu war cabinet decides to go on a major military operation in Rafah.
Children play in the rubble of a damaged building where two hostages were reportedly held before being rescued during an operation by Israeli security forcess in Rafah, on the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.05.2024
Analysis
'Israel Doesn't Want a Ceasefire': Truce Talks Take Back Seat as Rafah Attack Surges
Politico reported on Tuesday that the Biden administration has not yet signed off on a pending sale of Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) that can be converted to precision weapons, including Small Diameter Bombs.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington was expected to sell about 6,500 JDAM systems to Israel on Monday.
The delay is the first known instance of the United States delaying the supply of military aid to its closest ally in the Middle East amid disagreements over Israel’s stance on Rafah.
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала