Israeli military spokesman: Joe Biden visit would have ‘strategic importance’ as war with Hamas in Gaza rages

A spokesman for Israel’s military said on Monday that a visit by US President Joe Biden to Israel would have “strategic importance”.

Asked by reporters about a possible visit by Biden, which Israeli media has reported could happen this week, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said a “visit by the president of the United States has strategic importance”.

“Its strategic importance is for the entire Middle East, and the impact in which the highest level figure in the United States comes to Israel in time of war,” Hagari said.

The report comes amid news that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sheltered in a bunker for five minutes on Monday when air sirens went off in Tel Aviv during their meeting.

The two have since moved out and are continuing their discussions at the defence ministry’s command centre, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

The head of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency on Monday took responsibility for failing to prevent Hamas from carrying out its deadly rampage through Israeli towns.

“Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, on Saturday we were unable to generate sufficient warning that would allow the attack to be thwarted,” said Shin Bet director Ronen Bar in a statement.

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“As the one who heads the organisation, the responsibility for this is on me. There will be time for investigations. Now we fight.”

In Beirut, France’s foreign minister Catherine Colonna said Lebanese authorities should take all necessary measures to avert a war with Israel, following repeated exchanges of fire along the shared frontier.

Colonna spoke hours after Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement again traded cross-border fire, adding to tensions and fears of a wider war, 10 days into fighting between Gaza-based Hamas and Israel.

Tit-for-tat fire in recent days between Hezbollah and its allied Palestinian factions on the one side and Israel on the other have killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon and two in Israel.

“Lebanese officials have a responsibility … to do everything possible to prevent Lebanon from being dragged into a spiral,” Catherine Colonna told a press conference, adding that, no group “should take advantage” of the situation.

The United Nations patrols the border between Lebanon and Israel, which remain technically at war.

We must “continue to avoid a conflagration which could threaten the entire region”, Colonna said following stops in Israel and Cairo.

Ceasefire plans stall as Israel steps up Gaza strikes

Earlier on Monday, she met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati who said: “We are working for peace, but the decision to go to war is in Israel’s hands.”

Israel’s army said on Monday it was evacuating residents living along its northern border with Lebanon. The move affects thousands of people living in 28 communities.

In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday confirmed media reports he would travel to Israel and Egypt this week.

“It is important to me to also express my solidarity with Israel very practically with my visit,” he told reporters, while confirming a “later trip” to Egypt.

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Asia’s Muslim-majority countries rally in support of Palestinians as Middle East conflict mounts

Asia’s Muslim-majority countries rally in support of Palestinians as Middle East conflict mounts

German media had earlier reported that Scholz would travel to Israel on Tuesday as the first visit by a foreign head of government since the assault, which has sparked a war between Israel and Hamas.

The fate of German nationals kidnapped by Hamas during the attack 10 days ago is expected to be among the topics of discussion, according to the reports.

Scholz said he wanted to address “practical questions, particularly in terms of the security situation” in his talks “and how we can prevent an escalation of the conflict into further regions”.

Scholz added he wanted to discuss “how humanitarian aid can be organised” while stressing that “Israel has every right to defend itself”.

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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock already travelled to Israel on Friday. At a press conference with her Israeli counterpart in Jerusalem, she condemned Hamas for using residents as a “shield”.

A poll published on Monday by Bild newspaper showed strong support for Israel in the conflict among Germans.

According to the survey by the INSA independent opinion research institute, more than 70 per cent agreed when asked if Israel “has the right to defend itself militarily” against Hamas

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse