The United States claims to be clueless about Netanyahu’s remarks when he accuses Biden of “withholding weapons.”

In the most recent public spat between the two allies over the Gaza War, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the Biden administration in a video released on Tuesday.

TFD – Israeli airstrikes have targeted Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, intensifying the conflict as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly criticized the Biden administration for allegedly withholding weapons. The escalating tensions highlight the complex dynamics at play in the ongoing Gaza War and the broader Middle Eastern conflict.

The United States claims it doesn’t know what the Israeli prime minister is discussing.

Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the Biden administration has been “withholding weapons and ammunitions” from its close friend for the “past few months.” The head of Israel’s military said that this was impeding their current attack in Gaza, which was now aimed at the city of Rafah in the south.

“We sincerely have no idea what he is discussing. We simply don’t,” stated White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, adamant that billions of dollars’ worth of weapons have continued to flow into Israel while only one shipment of heavy bombs had been halted since the start of the conflict.

The White House refuted rumors that, infuriated by Netanyahu’s charge, it had called off a high-level meeting with Israeli officials over Iran. The meeting’s specifics had not yet been decided, a White House representative informed NBC News, “so nothing has been canceled.”

Officials from the United States stated that they did not want to “reward” Israel with the meeting, characterizing it as “postponed” and “not locked” in a final schedule. However, according to the officials, it is still anticipated to occur.

Meetings with Israeli officials are taking place “on a range of topics” during the week, according to the White House official.

As we said in the briefing yesterday, we have no idea what the prime minister is talking about, but that’s not a reason for rescheduling a meeting,” added the person.

Additionally on Wednesday, the UN human rights office stated that the Israeli military’s attack on the Palestinian enclave was probably violating the laws of war “consistently,” highlighting the use of heavy bombs. The updated assessment was released as attention was shifting northward to Israel’s border with Lebanon, where Israel and Hezbollah, a militant organization backed by Iran, had escalated their gunplay and verbal attacks while the United States sought to prevent a full-scale conflict.

In a video statement on X, Netanyahu voiced his disapproval, claiming that he had spoken with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the matter of withheld weapons while Blinken was recently in Israel.

“I said I deeply appreciated the support the U.S. has given Israel from the beginning of the war,” Netanyahu addresses the camera in English in the footage. “However, I added one more thing. I stated that it is unfathomable that the administration has been denying Israel arms and ammunition for the last few months.

While he did not specify which weapons were being withheld, Netanyahu stated that Blinken had informed him that the United States was attempting to “remove these bottlenecks.”

Blinken stated he would not talk about what was mentioned in diplomatic talks with Netanyahu during a press briefing on Tuesday. However, he insisted that the White House’s position had “not changed.”

After a delay, the U.S. sale of $15 billion worth of F-15s to Israel was approved by two prominent Democrats in Congress. “Our posture is, again, to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself across these many threats,” he said, according to The Associated Press.

According to Blinken, there was “one case,” which was covered by NBC News in May, in which Israel’s plans to mount an aggressive military action in Rafah caused the United States to suspend a sizable shipment of offensive weapons.

Although Washington has maintained that Israel has not crossed its red lines despite an intensifying campaign in the once-safe-zone city of Rafah in southern Gaza, President Joe Biden threatened to stop other shipments of certain arms if Israel proceeded with a full-scale assault in the area.

Blinken said the administration continued to review the “one shipment” that was withheld, but he said “everything else is moving as it normally would.”

During a press conference, Jean-Pierre clarified that the only shipment that was delayed was the heavy bombs, and he said that the United States and Israel were having “constructive discussions” on the transfer.

The Netanyahu administration remained silent.

The most recent altercation between the two allies occurred as internal pressure on Netanyahu regarding the outcome of the war grew.

Amid growing hostilities with Hezbollah, Israel has threatened to launch a new offensive along its northern border with Lebanon soon.

Netanyahu met with US envoy Amos Hochstein earlier this week as part of the negotiations for a negotiated settlement that the US and France have been working on.

However, the Israeli military declared on Tuesday that it has “approved and validated” “operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah released footage that it claimed was taken by spy planes over various locations in Israel, including the sea and air ports of Haifa.

Reacting to the situation, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that his country was “getting very close to the moment of decision to change the rules of the game with Hezbollah and Lebanon.”

“In a full-scale war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely hit,” he stated.

On Wednesday, hostilities persisted. According to the IDF, some fifteen rounds were fired from Lebanon toward the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona; fortunately, no casualties were recorded.

It claimed that Israeli fighter jets also destroyed “terrorist infrastructure” in the neighboring town of Khiam and a Hezbollah military facility near Tyre, on the southern Lebanese Mediterranean coast.