The Washington Post reported on Tuesday of friction between the United States and Israel over the elimination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
According to the report, while Israel has declined to comment on Haniyeh’s killing, it informed US officials immediately afterward that it was responsible.
White House officials responded with surprise and outrage to the elimination, which they saw as a setback to their months-long quest to secure a ceasefire in Gaza — a fitful process they believed was making progress, according to three people familiar with the White House’s thinking.
Analysts have noted that unlike Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding in a tunnel network under Gaza, Haniyeh lived in Qatar and traveled abroad, deepening questions about why Netanyahu would have chosen this explosive moment to strike.
The report also noted that, over the course of the conflict, many US officials have come to see Netanyahu, rather than Iran, as the chief wild card in containing a broader regional conflagration, according to several senior administration officials. Israel has repeatedly launched strikes on Hezbollah and Iranian commanders without first informing the United States, enraging Biden officials and the president himself, according to The Washington Post.
An Israeli official confirmed that a call between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu last week, after Haniyeh’s death, was “tense.”
At the same time, several people familiar with internal discussions told The Washington Post that there are no signs that Biden is willing to exert significant pressure on Israel to try to contain its actions, such as conditioning or limiting military aid.
After last week’s call, Biden told reporters that the elimination of Haniyeh was not helpful for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Referencing his conversation with Netanyahu earlier that evening, the President said he had “a direct conversation” with Netanyahu and that he had urged him to quickly reach a deal for the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.
Biden added that he is “very concerned” about the tensions in the Middle East.
The Washington Post report came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that both Iran and Israel should avoid escalating conflict in the Middle East.
"No one should escalate this conflict. We've been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We communicated that message directly to Israel," Blinken told reporters.
"Our commitment to Israel's security is ironclad. We will continue to defend Israel against attacks from terrorist groups or their sponsors, just as we'll continue to defend our troops," Blinken stressed.
"But everyone in the region should understand that further attacks only perpetuate conflict, instability, insecurity for everyone," he added.