President Joe Biden’s Tuesday speech about Hamas’s terrorist attack ended without taking questions or mentioning Iran, which reportedly played a key role in planning the surprise strike on Israel over the weekend.
Iranian security officials helped plan the attack and “gave the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut last Monday,” senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah told the Wall Street Journal.
The Washington Post confirmed the Journal’s report. Hamas planned the attack “with key support from Iranian allies who provided military training and logistical help as well as tens of millions of dollars for weapons,” current and former Western and Middle Eastern intelligence officials told the Post.
WATCH: Video Shows Hamas Rockets, Paragliders, Terrorists Streaming into Israel
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades via StoryfulIt remains unclear what precise role Iran played in the attack and why Joe Biden did not mention Iran.
The Biden administration recently agreed to unfreeze $6 billion of Iranian funds that the United States froze in South Korea.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday there was no “confirmation” that Iran knew about or was involved in the Hamas attack. Sullivan also refused to commit to refreezing the $6 billion.
Joe Biden did say there was “no justification for terrorism” and added Hamas “offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard for who pays the price.”
He also confirmed Hamas is holding Americans hostage.
At least 14 Americans died in the attack, along with over 1,000 Israelis. Many suffered injuries.
Israelis Itai and Hadar Berdichevsky were reportedly murdered after hiding their ten-month-old twins during the Hamas terrorist attack. The babies were found around 14 hours after their parents’ deaths. (Facebook)
Joe Biden’s speech, which ended without taking questions, a seemingly common occurrence for the president, lasted about ten minutes. It was his first public statement made personally since Saturday.
Joe Biden’s schedule detailed no public appearances on Monday after news surfaced that Hamas terrorists killed nine Americans in Israel over the weekend. According to media reports, the Biden administration is scrambling to ascertain how many Americans the Hamas terrorists killed and possibly took hostage.
Nineteen-year-old Chicago resident Natalie Raanan may have been kidnapped by Hamas during a family trip to Israel. (Keren Cohen/Facebook)
Joe Biden also spent Sunday evening partying with the first lady and White House staff, a press pool report stated Sunday evening around 6:00 p.m. The party was complete with a live band, paid for by the American taxpayers.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: How Hamas Took Israel by Surprise
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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