ANALYSIS — Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel over its killing of a top general already has flipped the script in the United States, with focus shifting to backing the Jewish state rather than using diplomatic leverage to alter its approach in Gaza.
Biden administration officials in recent weeks had been publicly critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war on Hamas inside Gaza. But those same officials rushed to Israel’s defense over the weekend, helping the Israeli Defense Forces, along with Jordan and United Kingdom, intercept over 300 drones and missiles fired by Iran.
As Israeli and U.S. officials late last week began warning about a threat on Israel from Iran, attention drifted from the administration’s calls for Netanyahu to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to alter how the IDF selects and engages targets there so that fewer civilians die or are gravely injured.
