Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has canceled a visit that was expected to take place at the Pentagon on Wednesday, the Pentagon announced, after Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to speak with President Joe Biden first.
The unexpected cancellation of the visit on Tuesday comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran as Israel considers options for responding to last week’s missile attack from Tehran. The Iranian missile attack on Israel was the second of this year.
The Pentagon did not provide details on the reasons for the cancellation of Gallant’s visit, stating that reporters should reach out to the Israeli Ministry of Defense for more information. Netanyahu’s office and Minister Gallant’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“We were just informed that Minister Gallant will postpone his trip to Washington,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh at a press conference.
The Israeli newspaper “Ynet” reported that Gallant had hoped his visit to the United States would strengthen coordination for a response to Iran, but just hours before his departure, Prime Minister Netanyahu set two conditions: a phone call with President Biden and cabinet approval for the response to Iran.
When asked about the cancellation of Gallant’s visit, the White House said that reporters should inquire with the Israeli government. President Biden and his aides have been considering the possibility of a phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu since late September. However, the White House did not immediately respond to a question about whether such a call has already been scheduled.
On Friday, President Biden stated that he believed Israel had not yet concluded how it should respond to Iran and added that he would consider the possibility of striking Iranian oil refineries if he were in Israel’s position.
Iran warned Israel on Tuesday against retaliatory strikes. The Iranian Foreign Minister said that any attack on Iran’s infrastructure would be met with a response. Meanwhile, a senior Iranian official told Gulf states that it would consider any such action “unacceptable” and would take measures against them if they allowed their airspace to be used for attacks against Iran.
Western powers are seeking a diplomatic solution for fear that the conflict could expand into other areas of the Middle East, a region rich in oil resources.
