In ‘very direct’ call, Biden tells Netanyahu to accept truce

President Joe Biden said he’s “very concerned” that the violence in the Middle East could escalate, adding that the killing of a top Hamas leader in Iran has “not helped” efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

While Biden pledged to support Israel against renewed threats from Iran and allied terrorist militias such as Hezbollah, he said he was “very direct” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a conversation Thursday.

“We have the basis for a cease-fire,” Biden told reporters. “He should move on it, and they should move on it now.”

Netanyahu says the country needs to continue until Hamas is destroyed as a military and political organization. While Hamas has been hammered since the war started in October, with Israel saying it’s killed roughly half its terrorist fighters, the group is managing to regroup in some areas. Israel’s national security minister has said Hamas probably won’t be fully defeated before the end of the year.

Netanyahu also denies the frequent claims from U.S., American and Arab officials that Israel is not doing enough to get aid to civilians in Gaza.

The truce negotiations, mediated by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt, have dragged for months. The two sides are working on a plan Biden outlined in May, which would see fighting initially stop for six weeks, with some hostages released as well as Palestinians in Israeli jails. The second and third stages would lead to more captives being freed and potentially a permanent end to the war.

There are still obstacles to overcome. One of the main issues is that Israel won’t agree to any truce it thinks will restrict its ability to restart the war and destroy Hamas if the terrorist group doesn’t surrender.

Ismail Haniyeh’s death added to the tumult in the Middle East. It followed just hours after Israel targeted and killed a senior Hezbollah commander called Fuad Shukr in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. Israel confirmed that hit, saying Shukr was responsible for a rocket attack on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights last weekend that killed 12 children and teenagers playing football.

Iran and Hezbollah have vowed revenge against Israel, with Tehran ordering its security forces to assess options for attacking the Jewish state.

Netanyahu said earlier Thursday that Israel’s at “a very high level of preparedness for any scenario.”

“We will exact a very high price for any act of aggression against us from any quarter whatsoever,” he said.

Biden was joined on his call to Netanyahu by Vice President Kamala Harris, who’s the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for the presidential election in November.

The president promised “new defensive U.S. military deployments” for Israel.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “will be directing multiple” force movements to provide additional support to Israel and increase protection for U.S. troops in the region, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Friday. She said final decisions have not yet been made.

Singh said it could involve deploying additional military units “with additional capabilities that …would need to be operated by additional people.” She declined to provide details, but an array of defensive measures, from additional ships and fighter aircraft units to added air defense systems, would involve more troops.

She said she’s not aware of any U.S. military units being ordered to prepare to deploy as yet.

The U.S. continues to have a number of warships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, including two Navy destroyers, the USS Roosevelt and the USS Bulkeley, as well as the USS Wasp and the USS New York.

The Wasp and the New York are part of the amphibious ready group and carry a Marine expeditionary unit that could be used if any evacuation of U.S. personnel is required.

In addition, a U.S. official said that two U.S Navy destroyers that are currently in the Middle East will be heading north up the Red Sea toward the Mediterranean Sea. At least one of those could linger in the Mediterranean if needed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss troop movements.