US denies giving Israel green light to invade Rafah in exchange for 'limited' attack on Iran

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House strongly rejected giving Israel a green light Thursday to invade the southern Gazan city of Rafah in exchange for Tel Aviv committing to carry out a "limited" retaliation against Iran.

A National Security Council spokesperson told Anadolu on condition of anonymity that the claim "is not true and not something that has been discussed."

The London-based al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet reported earlier that the Biden administration provided the approval in exchange for Israel's vow not to carry out a large-scale reprisal against Iran for an unprecedented ballistic missile and drone attack last weekend. It cited an anonymous Egyptian source.

"The report is inaccurate," the National Security Council spokesperson said in an email.

Tehran carried out an overnight attack on Israel Saturday in response to an April 1 strike on its consulate in Syria that killed seven Iranian military officers, including two top-ranking Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders for Syria and Lebanon.

Israel has not formally taken responsibility for the strike but has carried out attacks on Iranian targets across Syria in recent months. The US has denied having any role in it.

Israel has vowed to retaliate for the Iranian reprisal. Tehran threatened to “reconsider” its nuclear doctrine Thursday if Israel moved to attack any Iranian nuclear facility amid heightened tensions between the two regional foes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also long been promising to carry out an invasion of Rafah where 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge after being earlier displaced during the more than half-year war.

The Biden administration has said it would not support an invasion that does not account for the humanitarian fallout that would ensue, and the White House has, for weeks, been attempting to schedule a sit-down with an Israeli delegation in Washington to present alternatives.

To date, only a virtual meeting has transpired. Reports have suggested that another virtual round will take place Thursday. ​​​​​​​