What happened
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 21, with Vice President Kamala Harris joining the call, the White House said. The "direct" and "productive" call covered a "range of issues" and lasted about half an hour, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Who said what
Biden and Netanyahu discussed Gaza and the "future of Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon," but the bulk of the conversation focused on "Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran" for its Oct. 1 missile barrage, ABC News said, citing an official "familiar with the call." Netanyahu "didn't present a fully finalized vision for a counterattack," but Biden administration officials were "relatively satisfied with the level of detail" and "felt the Israeli government was receptive to their arguments" about a measured response that wouldn't spark an all-out regional war with Iran.
The call came amid "Biden's growing frustration" with Netanyahu, as Israel's multi-front war adds a "layer of complexity to the American election next month," The Associated Press said. The White House was also "blindsided by a series of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon," The New York Times said, and defense officials were furious they didn't have prior warning to put U.S. troops in the region on heightened alert.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a video posted Wednesday that Israel's attack on Iran "will be deadly, precise and above all, surprising," and "they will not understand what happened and how it happened." Netanyahu "will convene the security cabinet" on Thursday, Axios said, a necessary legal step before launching an expected "significant military action," likely including a "combination of airstrikes on military targets in Iran and clandestine attacks."
-
5 thin-skinned cartoons about shooting the messengerCartoons Artists take on unfavorable weather, a look in the mirror, and more
-
Is Trump's new peacemaking model working in DR Congo?Talking Point Truce brokered by the US president in June is holding, but foundations of a long-term peace have let to be laid
-
Crossword: August 10, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
What does occupying Gaza accomplish for Israel?Talking Points Risking a 'strategic dead-end' in the fight against Hamas
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monumentsSpeed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seatspeed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
-
Who owns Gaza? Israel's occupation plans
The Explainer Egypt, Israel and Britain have ruled the beleaguered territory
-
JD Vance rises as MAGA heir apparentIN THE SPOTLIGHT The vice president is taking an increasingly proactive role in a MAGA movement roiled by scandal and anxious about a post-Trump future
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring pushSpeed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additionsSpeed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein filesSpeed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
