As the Israel-Hamas war continues, many are wondering what is being done about Iran.
Daniel Kurtzer, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel & Egypt, told L.A.’s Morning News, “I think Iran is watching rather than acting.”
“At the moment, Iran is confining its reaction to words,” he said. “We haven't seen any indications that they've moved any of their military assets or even instructed Hezbollah, which often acts in Iranian interests to do more than a little bit of, I guess you call it, station identification.”
Kurtzer added that while Iran and Hezbollah have been quieter than expected, but everyone is “waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“If Hamas planned its incursion into Israel as well as it did, they must have thought about what follows both in terms of the Israeli response and in terms of activating its allies elsewhere,” he said. “So, we're holding our breath.”
Israel officially declared war on Hamas on Oct. 8, after the militant group fired roughly 2,200 rockets at Israel on Oct. 7. In retaliation, Israel fired rockets at Gaza and created a blockade that prevented food, water, and fuel from going into the area, according to Reuters.
Israel's Energy Minister later said water supplies were released to southern parts of Gaza following an agreement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden.
In an Oct. 11 press conference, President Biden said that the U.S. will continue to offer support to Israel.
As for how likely the United States could get more involved in the war, Kurtzer said a “multilateral coalition” is needed more than action.
“What's really needed is a multilateral coalition that thinks about how to mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel seeks to neutralize Hamas and then begins thinking about the day after which frankly, the Israelis are not in a position to do that right now,” he said.
He said the U.S. can “think about” the transition to Hamas’ control of Gaza.
Meanwhile, multiple reports suggested President Biden might visit Israel at some point this week. The president has not confirmed this.
Listen to the full interview in the link above.