Tipsheet

Hezbollah and Israel Are on the Brink of War...And the Biden White House Is Silent

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 28, 2024 12:30 AM

As Sarah wrote on Saturday, tragedy has again struck Israel: Hezbollah reportedly fired a rocket at the Israeli Druze village of Majdal Shams, killing at least ten people, some of them children. They were playing a soccer game. The attack has increased tensions as Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel for months. It’s led to an internal displacement crisis, as Israelis in the northern part of the country have evacuated to the south. 

Since the start of the war in Gaza against Hamas in retaliation for the barbaric October 7 attacks, Israel has made no qualms about taking protracted military action against Hezbollah if the rocket attacks continue. Hamas’ invasion into the southern part of the country last year shocked the psyche of the Jewish state, where wiping out the terrorists and all threats to their nation was a security priority, a sentiment shared from across the political spectrum. We could be on the verge of a northern front opening in the Middle East, which has made the Biden White House nervous. This rocket attack comes as Kamala Harris, who has assumed the top slot in the 2024 Democratic Party ticket, called for a ceasefire in her remarks on the ongoing situation in Gaza (via Axios): 

The Biden administration is highly concerned that a rocket attack from Lebanon that killed 12 people in the Golan Heights could lead to an all out war between Israel and Hezbollah, U.S. officials tell Axios. 

The big picture: The administration for months has worried that both Israel and Hezbollah are miscalculating as they escalate their rhetoric and fighting on the ground while thinking they can avoid an all-out war. 

U.S. officials are also concerned that without a ceasefire in Gaza, a war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group is becoming more likely, which would exacerbate the regional crisis and draw the U.S. deeper into the conflict. 

"What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months," a U.S. official told Axios.

Driving the news: The IDF said twelve people were killed and more than 30 were wounded when a rocket exploded in a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. 

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah was responsible for the attack. 

Hezbollah denied it fired the rocket and said it had no connection to the incident.

Hagari called it the "most serious targeting" of Israeli civilians since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Where’s Joe Biden? As of writing this post at 2 am, there’s been no statement about the attack, not even a tweet. Who’s in charge of the White House? Does Joe Biden know there’s been an attack? In his last Oval Office address, Mr. Biden had a laundry list of items he thought he could get done, showing that he still had the mental capacity to carry out his duties. He needed to sound busy, but we’re on the brink of a second front opening in the Middle East between Israel and radical Islamic terrorists, and the president is AWOL.

Joe, is America back? Because something should have been released hours ago, even before your 4:30 PM bedtime. Has Biden been present at the NSC meetings on this situation?