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President Joe Biden landed in Israel Wednesday morning for a visit that aimed to reassure all parties, only to find that a regional crisis is worsening by the hour.
He hugged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of a trip intended to show solidarity with the Israeli people as he mourns the more than 1,300 people killed in a terrorist attack.
But it came in the wake of a strike on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds, with Israelis and Palestinians blaming each other, sparking street protests across the Middle East.
Plans to travel to Jordan to meet with top Arab leaders and the King of Jordan were abandoned before takeoff.
And he reportedly learned aboard Air Force One that his forces in Iraq were being targeted by drones in the early hours, an attack that was foiled by U.S. troops.
President Joe Biden is greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival on Israeli soil Wednesday morning. He finds himself at the heart of a growing storm
The bodies of victims of the strike at al-Ahli hospital are lined up in a courtyard on Tuesday
Officials tried to put on a brave face over the cancellation of the Jordan leg, which was to have included a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
They denied that Biden learned they were withdrawing when he was already in the motorcade en route to Air Force One.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby insisted Biden agreed it was right to postpone the trip to Jordan in a call with the king from the country.
“Of course he would always prefer face-to-face diplomacy. It’s the president’s business,” he said.
“But he also understands, in the wake of this explosion at the hospital, that this is not the appropriate thing to do for, certainly for the leaders who are there.”
He said Abbas had to stay at home for three days of mourning.
Any trip to the Middle East carries risks for an American president. This time, Biden finds himself in the middle of a geopolitical whirlwind.
Israel is preparing for an expected ground invasion of Gaza, seeking to eliminate the Hamas militant group which has launched terror attacks that have killed at least 1,300 people.
At the same time, Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah deployed along Israel’s northern border, are making their anger heard.
The State Department lifted its travel alert to Lebanon “do not travel,” citing rocket exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel. Protesters gathered around the US embassy in Beirut after news of the hospital strike spread, further increasing tensions.
Palestinian authorities say 500 people were killed in Tuesday’s strike on al-Ahli hospital (photo)
People stand in front of the fire that broke out outside the security barrier, during clashes between protesters and security forces outside the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
The unrest means Biden’s plans to meet with (from left) King Abdullah II of Jordan, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have been scrapped. Biden will not travel from Israel to Jordan
White House officials said Biden’s mission was clear: to stand with Israel, while warning other actors to stay out of the conflict and help improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza, while working to free the hostages.
But the strike on al-Ahli hospital, which may have killed up to 500 people, upended the visit, further raising tensions.
Biden quickly demanded to know exactly what happened.
“I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza and the terrible loss of life that resulted,” he said in a statement released by the White House.
“Immediately after hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and asked my national security team to continue gathering information on what exactly happened .”
The Israeli military has shared raw footage, revealing the moment a rocket misfired and exploded just as the Gaza hospital was hit, killing 500 people.
President Joe Biden was seen boarding Air Force One Tuesday evening. He landed in Israel Wednesday morning amid a deepening crisis
Israel was quickly blamed, but denied that one of its missiles was behind the explosion.
The Israel Defense Forces have shared raw footage, revealing what they say is the moment a rocket misfired and exploded just as the Gaza hospital was hit.
“A rocket targeting Israel misfired and exploded at 6:59 p.m., just as a hospital was hit in Gaza,” the Israeli army wrote on Twitter.
The video shows a rocket exploding in the air before descending below.
With the Arab meetings canceled, the danger for Biden is that his visit appears to be nothing more than an opportunity to make clear that he stands with Israel.
Kirby insisted Biden would do more than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help.
“He will ask tough questions, he will ask them as a friend, as a true friend of Israel, but he will ask them some questions,” Kirby said.
In a sign of what could come, officials described how U.S. forces foiled a drone attack in Iraq.
The one-way attack drones were intercepted as they attempted to strike Al Asad airbase, which hosts U.S. troops, officials told Reuters.
They did not say who they believe was behind the attack.