‘Don’t take the President for granted!’ Joe Biden to PM Benjamin Netanyahu amid Iran-Israel tensions

‘Stop bullshitting me!’ US President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their conversation on Thursday. His remarks came in the context of Israeli-US collaboration in preparation for a potential full-scale conflict with Iran and its allies, according to Channel 12 News.

Concluding the conversation, President Biden said, “Don't take the president for granted”. It is pertinent to note that the Biden-Nentayahu conversation took place days after the killing of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.

On Saturday, the Israel Prime Minister's Office responded to the report and clarified the Prime Minister does not interfere in American politics and will work with whoever is elected the US President, The Times of Israel reported.

A senior Israeli official told The Telegraph that Benjamin Netanyahu feels more empowered to take strong measures against Iran following President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the US presidential election.

The official noted that Biden attempted to "restrain" Netanyahu while still campaigning for re-election. “He told him not to respond too harshly to Iran’s attacks. And Iran knew this, which is why they exploited the situation to attack Israel,” the official said.

This development occurs amidst rising tensions, with Iran and Tehran-supported groups pledging retaliation for the recent killings of their leaders. President Biden has urged regional allies to help counter Iran's unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel that took place overnight from April 13 to 14.

On Thursday, Lebanon's powerful Iran-backed group Hezbollah vowed a "definite" response to Israel's killing of its top military commander, saying the strike had crossed red lines and the decades-old rivalry between foes had entered a new phase.

"The resistance cannot but respond. This is definite," said Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, speaking in a televised address to mark the funeral of the slain commander, attended by mourners clad in black waving the group's yellow-and-green flag.