President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris did not reach out to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following an assassination attempt attributed to Hezbollah, which involved a drone striking his private residence on Saturday. Reports indicate that Hezbollah launched three drones towards Israel, with two being intercepted. However, the third drone successfully reached Netanyahu’s home, although he and his wife were not present at the time, resulting in no injuries.
Netanyahu subsequently cautioned Iran that this “assassination attempt” would constitute a “grave mistake,” despite Iran’s reported efforts to dissociate itself from Hezbollah’s actions. According to The Times of Israel, former President Trump communicated with Netanyahu after the incident, as did Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA).
In contrast, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer reached out to Netanyahu, expressing his alarm regarding the drone attack. However, sources indicate that neither President Biden nor Vice President Harris made any attempt to contact him.
Earlier in the week, Biden had a conversation with Netanyahu following the Israeli military’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during an unexpected encounter in Rafah. Both Biden and Harris had expressed opposition to Israel’s incursion into Rafah, despite the potential for locating Hamas leaders there. Biden’s relationship with Netanyahu has been characterized by tension, and Harris utilized her meeting with Netanyahu to criticize Israel for the “human suffering” occurring in Gaza.
