Biden convening national security team as tensions flare between Israel and Iran
As Israel braces for potential for attacks from Iran and other militant groups it supports in the region, Joe Biden will convene his national security team.
President Joe Biden will convene his national security team on Monday to discuss developments in the Middle East as the region braces for an Iranian retaliation to a series of assassinations blamed on Israel 10 months into the war in the Gaza Strip.
Countries including the United States, the U.K., Australia, France, Canada, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey and Jordan have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon as soon as possible.
And on Monday, NBC News crew reported two sonic booms over the Lebanese capital, Beirut, heightening tensions, although it was unclear what the sounds came from. This came after the Israeli military said it had struck a “terrorist cell operating a drone” in southern Lebanon after “numerous projectiles” were fired at northern Israel.
Meanwhile, Gaza health officials said more than 70 people had been killed in Israeli strikes over the weekend, bringing the total dead during the war there to almost 40,000 people.
Rockets fired from southern Lebanon are intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel.Jalaa Marey / AFP - Getty ImagesIn Israel, a senior official told NBC News over the weekend that the country was bracing for a potential multiday attack by Iran and Hezbollah in response to the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Fuad Shukr, a senior leader with the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Rating: 5