US President Joe Biden’s first call in over a month with Benjamin Netanyahu threw into focus his limited ability to influence Israel’s prime minister over what could be an imminent strike against Iran.
“Our attack on Iran will be deadly, precise and above all surprising,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday. “They will not understand what happened and how it happened. They will see the results.”
In a sign of the tensions between Israel and the US, its major ally, the Israeli side by the next morning had released no readout of the call. Biden has warned Israel against attacking Iran’s nuclear sites, which Tehran would view as especially provocative. US officials also worry that hits on Iranian oil infrastructure would push up energy prices and hurt the global economy. The US is pressing Israel to limit its retaliation against Iran for a missile salvo last week to military targets. It is also proposing a fresh round of economic sanctions, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. Washington is aiming to give Netanyahu an off-ramp that allows him to resist calls for severe retribution from hard-line nationalists in his coalition, as well as some opposition leaders. There’s no guarantee he’ll take it, especially given the Biden administration is reluctant to cut weapons supplies to Israel or take other measures that might force Netanyahu’s hand.