Biden Announces "Additional Military Support to Israel" and Establishes Contingency Plans Based on Situations

Secretary Blinken Dispatched to Israel
Israel-Hamas Clashes Escalate into Middle East Conflict
Prolonged Hamas Eradication Operation Expected

As the United States steps up additional military support for Israel, which has entered a state of war following a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, Secretary of State Tony Blinken is set to be urgently dispatched to Israel. With signs of escalation emerging, such as rockets being fired from Syria and Lebanon into Israel, emergency response plans are being developed for various scenarios.

President Joe Biden [Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 10th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden condemned Hamas's attack on Israel as "Sheer Evil" during a nationwide address at the White House and announced additional military aid to Israel. He stated, "We are pushing support that includes ammunition and interceptors for the Iron Dome air defense system," emphasizing, "We will ensure that Israel does not run out of critical assets needed to protect its cities and citizens."

He also expressed his intention to request emergency measures from Congress to support Israel. On the fourth day of the conflict, it was reported that over 1,000 civilians, including at least 14 Americans, have died.

President Biden will dispatch Secretary Blinken to Israel on the 12th to prepare future response measures. Secretary Blinken will meet with senior Israeli officials to express full support and discuss plans for the safe return of American hostages abducted by Hamas. President Biden has also ordered the establishment of emergency plans for various scenarios related to the war between Israel and Hamas, preparing for the possibility of escalation due to suspected Iranian involvement behind Hamas.

The current clashes between the two countries are showing signs of escalation as neighboring countries become involved. The Israeli military announced that multiple rockets and mortars were fired from Lebanon and Syria into Israeli territory today and were intercepted. This marks the first exchange of fire between Israel and Syria since Hamas's airstrike on the 7th. Consequently, concerns have been raised that the armed conflict could spread throughout the Middle East. Particularly, the potential full-scale involvement of Iran, suspected to be behind Hamas, and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is a significant variable.

Military experts suggest that Israel's operation to eliminate Hamas, preparing to deploy ground forces into the Gaza Strip, could be prolonged. Hamas possesses a large number of troops with advanced special military training and moves through underground tunnels within the Gaza Strip, making it difficult to locate them. Since Israel last deployed ground forces into Gaza in 2014, it is expected to take a long time to suppress Hamas's guerrilla warfare and fully control the Gaza Strip. Continued civilian casualties in Gaza could also weaken international support for Israel, which is a concern.

Makaymar Abu Sada, a political commentator on the Middle East, remarked, "The United States was stationed in Afghanistan for 20 years but failed to overthrow the Taliban regime," and predicted, "It could be quite difficult for Israel to completely eradicate Hamas."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.