Biden: "Weapons Support Will Be Halted If Israel Attacks Rafah"

"Israel Has Not Yet Crossed the Red Line," Emphasizes

U.S. President Joe Biden stated on the 8th (local time) that if Israel launches a large-scale attack on Rafah, the southernmost city of the Gaza Strip, the U.S. will halt weapons support.

In an interview with CNN that day, President Biden said, "Civilians in the Gaza Strip are dying due to bombs and various attacks," adding, "If Israel advances into Rafah, we will not support the weapons they have used so far to attack Rafah and other cities."

President Joe Biden of the United States. [Source=Yonhap News]

The United States has maintained an active support policy for Israel since the Palestinian armed faction Hamas's attack on Israel in October last year. However, as Palestinian civilian casualties have recently increased and criticism has arisen not only from the international community but also within the U.S. Democratic Party, President Biden's political standing has faced a crisis.

Earlier, the U.S. government clearly opposed a ground offensive in Rafah and halted the shipment of one batch of high-explosive bombs that had been planned to support Israel. However, President Biden made it clear that support for defensive weapons, including maintaining the Iron Dome air defense system for Israel's defense, will continue.

President Biden stated, "We will ensure that Israel maintains the capability to respond to attacks with systems like the Iron Dome," but drew a line by saying, "A large-scale attack on Rafah is wrong. We will not support weapons and shells for that."

However, President Biden emphasized that Israel has not yet crossed the "red line" in Rafah. He explained, "Israel has not entered densely populated areas. What they have done occurred in border areas," adding, "This is an issue with Egypt and a problem arising from the parts where we have been working to build relations." He further stated, "I made it clear to Bibi (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) and the wartime cabinet that if they enter densely populated areas, they will not receive our support."