US telegraphs lack of trust in Israel to respond strategically

US President Joe Biden has said privately that he is worried that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to pull the US into a larger conflict, according to NBC News, citing “three people familiar with his comments.

Senior US officials are also worried Israel could act rashly in the wake of the Iranian attack without regard for the fallout, according to the report.

Citing a senior administration official and a senior defense official, the reports says that the White House concerns come from the way in which Israel has conducted its war in Gaza and the attack on senior Iranian general Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Damascus.

At the same time, the US does not believe that Israel is looking for a full-blown war with Iran, but they can’t be certain, according to the officials.

The administration official also voices frustration over the Damascus strike that led to the Iranian attack.

“I don’t think they had a strategy,” says the official. “The Israelis don’t always make the best strategic decisions.”