Biden holds talks with West amid mixed reports of a ground invasion
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As "Israel" continues its aggression on Gaza, the White House confirmed Biden's separate discussions with Western leaders, Netanyahu, and Pope Francis.
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US President Joe Biden on a phone call in the Oval Office in Washington on December 9, 2021 (AFP)
After meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, US President Joe Biden has decided to increase his involvement in the ongoing aggression on Gaza and held a conversation with the leaders of Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, as the exact reason remains unknown.
As "Israel" continues its aggression on Gaza and Israeli and US targets are hit in the region, the White House confirmed Biden's separate discussions with Western leaders, Netanyahu, and Pope Francis.
A White House readout of the discussions said Western leaders reiterated their support for "Israel" and what they described as "its right to defend itself against terrorism," calling for adherence to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians."
It said the leaders discussed their own citizens taken captive by the Palestinian Resistance, "in particular those wishing to leave Gaza."
The readout said the Western leaders voiced commitment to coordinate "to ensure sustained and safe access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance required to meet humanitarian needs" in the Gaza Strip.
They also pledged close diplomatic coordination "to prevent the conflict from spreading, preserve stability in the Middle East, and work toward a political solution and durable peace."
Biden's discussion with the Pope centered on the need to "prevent escalation in the region and to work toward a durable peace in the Middle East," the White House stated.
According to the Vatican, the 20-minute call focused on "conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace."
The White House Office of Management and Budget revealed that Biden is seeking an additional $106 billion in funding from Congress in assistance to Ukraine, "Israel", and the Indo-Pacific region and to support operations along the US southern border.
The supplementary package allocates $61.4 billion, with half of this amount intended to supply weapons to Kiev and replenish US military inventory, as stated by the White House.
Additionally, there is $14.3 billion allocated for "Israel", comprising $10.6 billion designated for security assistance, including air and missile defense support, investments in the industrial base, and restocking US weapon supplies, as outlined in the document.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Sunday, scheduled to visit the Israeli occupation for "solidarity" on October 23.
His office issued a statement announcing that he also spoke with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and announced the visit of Rutte and Macron, detailing they would meet with Netanyahu during their visit.
Netanyahu attempted to sway the leaders into believing that "Israel's victory over Hamas is a victory for the whole world."
On Friday, the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri described the US' extensive military support to "Israel" as being indicative of the complicity of the United States in Israeli crimes against Palestinians and warned of the impending consequences, particularly in Gaza.
Read more: US plays victim, arms 'Israel', yet blames Iran for escalation
Rockets hit US Ain al-Assad as Resistance Axis gradually joins war
The US Department of State on Sunday announced that the US ordered the evacuation of non-essential workers from its embassy in Baghdad due to growing security concerns in the region.
Ain al-Assad US occupation base in Iraq hosting American troops was targeted with rockets on Saturday evening, Reuters said in a report.
Over half a dozen operations took place against American military bases in the past four days. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for targeting the bases of Ain al-Assad and al-Harir in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as al-Tanf and Conoco bases in Syria.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces chief Faleh al-Fayyad said in an interview for Al Mayadeen on Saturday that Iraq will carry out "all duties toward the Palestinians, at the level of aid or military-wise."
Over the past several days, the IOF have been engaging in an exchange of back-and-forth missiles with Lebanon's movement of resistance, Hezbollah.
On the Yemeni front, a CNN report published on Thursday stated that a US Navy warship deployed in the Middle East intercepted several projectiles in the vicinity of the Yemeni coast.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry on Saturday, the Israeli occupation committed 550 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of 3,353 members of these families since the beginning of the aggression.
The Israeli occupation has continued its brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip for about two weeks now, targeting homes, residential towers, UN schools, bakeries, ambulances, and hospitals.
"Israel" claims it directly targets Hamas, yet children make up a majority of the over 4,700 Palestinians killed in Gaza.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
