President Joe Biden described the assault as “a terrible tragedy on a human level” and said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to underline his support.
“In my administration, support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering. We’ll make sure that they have the help their citizens need and they can continue to defend themselves,” President Biden said.
Biden stressed that Israel — which the United States has supplied with billions of dollars of arms — has “a right to defend itself and its people” after the terrorist group Hamas launched air, sea and land strikes.
In another report, the Pentagon on Saturday reaffirmed the United States’ “unwavering” commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself and vowed to make sure the key US ally had the means to do so, reported news agency AFP.
“Our commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself remains unwavering,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement, adding that his agency would work “to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism.”
Meanwhile, British PM Rishi Sunak said on X that “Israel has an absolute right to defend itself.”