As US, Israel coordinate, Biden works to curb Netanyahu's response to Iran

TEL AVIV — Israel and the United States are making separate and joint military preparations for a possible Iranian retaliatory attack, but the Biden administration is also trying to keep a handle on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should Tehran launch an assault. 

Mirror images from Tehran and Tel Aviv reflect the state of geopolitical play as the Middle East braces for a potential regional war. In Tel Aviv, US Central Command head Gen. Michael Kurilla met on Monday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and top military commander Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi while Iranian political and military leaders were meeting in Tehran with Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia's security council.

Two competing blocs

The flurry of discussions regarding Iran’s expected retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Israel's possible response does not mean the international scene is on the brink of a third world war. It does mean, however, that the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran has pitted two global blocs of influence against each other, with Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and its proxy militias on one side and the United States, Israel and its regional partners on another.