President Joe Biden addressed the ongoing Hamas attack against Israel today, reaffirming the U.S.’s commitment to the Jewish state’s security.
“In this moment of tragedy, I want to say to them, to the world, and to terrorists everywhere: The United States stands with Israel,” Biden said. “We will not ever fail to have their back. We will make sure they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves.”
Referencing the spate of photographs and videos making the rounds on social media and elsewhere, Biden called the images from Israel “appalling.” He added that he has spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Jordanian king Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and members of Congress, and has directed the U.S.’s national-security apparatus to engage with Israeli security on next steps.
“I told [Netanyahu] the United States stands with the people of Israel in the face of these terrorist assaults,” the president said. “Israel has the right to defend itself, full stop. There’s never a justification for terrorist attacks, and my administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock-solid and unwavering.”
Referencing a statement the administration issued late Saturday morning, Biden warned Israel’s adversaries in the region, “This is not a moment for any party hostile to Israel to exploit these attacks to seek advantage — the world is watching.”
Biden said he “got up this morning, started this at 7:30-8 o’clock,” despite the fact that the Hamas incursion into Israel began late last night after a barrage of rocket fire, with gunmen entering the country’s southern region.
The president’s promise to stand “with the state of Israel just as we have from the moment the United States became the first nation to recognize it eleven minutes after its founding” may soon be put to the test. In a video released on X (formerly Twitter), Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant vowed that “Hamas will understand very quickly that it has made a grave mistake,” warning that Israel will not rest until the terrorist threat has been neutralized.
“We will change reality on the ground in Gaza for the next 50 years,” Gallant said. “What was before, will be no more. We will operate at full force.”