April 15, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

US President Joe Biden addressed Iran’s attack against Israel over the weekend for the first time publicly, saying he remains focused on Israel’s security and reaching a ceasefire and hostage deal as he works to stem the conflict from spilling into a wider regional war. 

The president made the comments while welcoming Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to the Oval Office amid the ongoing tension in the region and concerns for US forces. 

“We’re also committed to the security of our personnel and partners in the region, including Iraq,” Biden said. “The partnership between Iraq and the United States is critical.”

An Israeli military official told CNN on Monday that the soldiers who were wounded during an operation in Lebanese territory were on an operation that took place “dozens of meters deep” in western Lebanon.

The military official said the incident is still under investigation and the explosion's origins are still unknown. 

Earlier, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said the operation, which severely wounded one solider and left two moderately injured and another lightly injured, resulted during operations on Lebanon’s northern border. 

This post was updated with more information on the incident

Germany, France and Belgium all summoned their Iranian ambassadors Monday as European nations continue to strongly condemn Iran's attack on Israel over the weekend.

Belgium opted to summon its Iranian ambassador, Seyed Mohammad Ali Robatjazi, according to a statement from the Belgian foreign ministry. Officials used the visit to convey their "strong condemnation of Iran's attack on Israel" to the ambassador, the statement added.

Iran’s ambassador was summoned to hear France condemn “with the greatest firmness” Tehran’s attack against Israel, the French foreign ministry said in a statement. In the wake of the attack, Iran now “runs the risk of an escalation in which no one has any interest,” France warned, calling on the regime to “cease immediately” its provocations.

Finally, the German government summoned the Iranian ambassador in Berlin, a spokesperson for the Federal Foreign Office told a news conference.

This all comes after the Iranian government summoned the German, British and French ambassadors in Tehran on Sunday, according to Iranian state-affiliated news agency Tasnim. According to the Tasnim report, the three ambassadors were summoned over the “irresponsible stances” they took in response to Iran's attack on Israel.  

The Israeli war cabinet has reviewed military plans for a potential response against Iran during a nearly three-hour meeting on Monday, an official said.

The war cabinet remains determined to act, but it is not clear at this point if a decision has been made.

There is a sense that Israel must act quickly, the official said.  

The war cabinet also reviewed diplomatic options to further isolate Iran, which could be carried out in addition to a military response.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Monday that he will speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express “solidarity with Israel” in the face of Iran’s attack and discuss how to “prevent further escalation.” 

Sunak explained “all sides must show restraint” and noted that G7 leaders will work together to coordinate “diplomatic measures” over the coming days. 

The British prime minister condemned Iran for seeking to “plunge the Middle East into a new crisis” and detailed: “The scale of the attack and the fact that it was targeted directly at Israel are without precedent. It was a reckless and dangerous escalation.” 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday the US has spent the past 36 hours “coordinating a diplomatic response to seek to prevent escalation” following a retaliatory Iranian attack on Israel this weekend.

“Strength and wisdom need to be different sides of the same coin,” Blinken said in a seemingly implicit call for Israel to exercise restraint in its response. Blinken noted he has been in contact with counterparts in the region “and will continue to do so in the hours and days ahead.”

As CNN reported, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would not participate in offensive moves against Iran.

But, he added that "what this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not have to and does not have to defend itself alone when it is the victim of aggression, the victim of an attack."

An Israeli official has confirmed to CNN that the war cabinet meeting is over. 

The official said that at this stage they had no details on what was discussed or decided.

The war cabinet met to deliberate over the timing and scope of a response to Iran's attack on Israel, the officials said. In addition to a potential military response, the war cabinet is also mulling diplomatic options to further isolate Iran on the world stage.

Israeli gunfire killed one person and critically wounded another in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, on Monday, the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health said. 

The ministry said the other person had a critical chest injury "due to occupation forces' gunfire in Nablus."

For their part, Israeli police say that security forces killed what they described as a “terrorist” in Nablus in the occupied West Bank during an operation to arrest a wanted man. It said border police, together with Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered Nablus to arrest a wanted person in a statement Monday. As the arrest was made, “violent disturbances against the forces began” and a man who threw an explosive device at the Israeli forces was shot dead.

“In addition to this, another person who disrupted order was shot in the leg after endangering the security of the forces.”

Security forces also opened fire on a “suspicious vehicle” that drove toward the forces at speed and did not respond to their calls, resulting in the injury of the driver of the vehicle.

Israel was set to take its first steps toward a ground offensive in Rafah this week, but has delayed those plans as it mulls a response to Iran’s attack, two Israeli sources tell CNN.

Iran launched 300 missiles and drones toward Israel overnight Sunday, bringing a new phase of tension, uncertainty and confrontation in the Middle East.

The attack has prompted Israel to delay its plans for an offensive in Rafah, where more than a million people are currently sheltering. The Israeli Air Force had planned on dropping leaflets on parts of the city on Monday, the sources said. One Israeli official said Israel remains determined to carry out a ground offensive in the southern city, although the timing of civilian evacuations and the coming ground offensive remains unclear at the moment. The Israeli military declined to comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed the importance of invading Rafah in order to dismantle Hamas’s remaining battalions, despite significant pressure from the United States to call off an all-out ground offensive. The future of the war in Gaza and a coming ground offensive in Rafah are also factoring into the war cabinet’s debate about a potential response to Iran’s attack.

A military response that risks escalating the conflict with Iran further would pull the military’s attention and resources away from Gaza, where Israel’s government has vowed to hand Hamas a total defeat.