Biden warns Israel to stop artillery supplies if it attacks Rafah / Article

Israel launched military operations on the outskirts of Rafah this week, but the US fears the Israelis could enter the densely populated city, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have taken refuge.

Washington insists that without a plan to protect civilians, Israel cannot launch an offensive in Rafah.

The Biden administration decided last week to withhold the delivery of several thousand heavy air bombs to Israel. Such bombs have previously been used in strikes in Gaza. In an interview with CNN, Biden admitted that US-made aerial bombs have killed Palestinian civilians.

But the US president emphasized that his government will continue to support Israel and supply it with the missiles it needs for the Iron Dome air defense system.

Biden’s warnings about not supplying weapons are unpleasant for Israel, which depends on US armaments.

About 70% of Israel’s arms imports come from the United States, writes the news agency “Bloomberg”.

The Biden administration’s decision to withhold weapons supplies to Israel has been criticized by Republican leaders in the US Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a joint statement that the White House’s decision jeopardizes US security guarantees to Israel.

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