Biden warns he could halt certain arms shipments if Israel attacks Rafah

Washington:

US President Joe Biden publicly warned Israel on Wednesday that he would stop supplying artillery shells and other weapons if it attacked Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, as he deplored the fact that US bombs had killed civilians.

“If they go after Rafah, I’m not providing the weapons that were used … to deal with the cities,” Biden said in a television interview with CNN.

“We will not deliver the weapons and artillery shells used.”

The threat to cut artillery shipments comes after the United States confirmed on Tuesday that it had already halted a shipment of large bombs over concerns about Israel’s planned attack on Rafah, where more than a million have been displaced by the war Palestinian civilians seek refuge near the Egyptian border.

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of these bombs and other methods they use to attack (Israel’s) population centers,” Biden said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to go to Rafah as part of the campaign to eliminate Hamas following the militants’ attack in Israel on October 7.

Israel has already defied objections from the United States and the international community, sending tanks to Rafah and seizing the key border crossing with Egypt early Tuesday.

Asked about Israel’s actions in Rafah, Biden replied: “They have not penetrated into the population centers.”

“What they’ve done is right on the border and it’s causing problems at the moment with Egypt, where I’ve worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help,” he told CNN.

He promised that Washington would “continue to ensure that Israel is secure with regard to the Iron Dome and its ability to respond to attacks.”

But he added that he had “made it clear to Bibi and the War Cabinet that they would not have our support if they actually moved into these urban centers.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)