President Biden pushes for a three-phase agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the Gaza war
President Joe Biden is looking past resistance from key Israeli officials as he presses Israel and Hamas to agree to a three-phase agreement that could immediately bring home dozens of Israeli hostages, free Palestinian prisoners and perhaps even lead to an endgame in the nearly eight-month-old Gaza war.
Mr. Biden’s big swing — during a tough reelection battle — could also demonstrate to a significant slice of his political base demoralized by his handling of the conflict that he’s doing his part to end the war that has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians and left hundreds of thousands struggling to meet basic needs.
The United Kingdom has warned Lebanon over Israel’s possible offensive against Hezbollah in the coming days. According to Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet Al-Akhbar, the Israeli military could launch a large-scale offensive in mid-June. Meanwhile, Israel’s National Security Minister Ben Gvir visited Kiryat Shmona along the Lebanon-Israel border after fires sparked by militant rocket attacks on June 3. Gvir said, “They’re burning [us] here, and all Hezbollah strongholds should be burned; they should be destroyed. War!.” Watch .
