President Joe Biden admitted during an interview that aired Sunday evening that the threat of terrorism in the United States has risen as a result of Hamas terrorist attack against Israel.
Biden made the remarks during an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday evening after the attacks killed more than 1,300 Israelis, including more than two dozen American citizens.
Host Scott Pelley asked Biden if “the threat of terrorism in the United States increased” as a result of the attacks.
“Yes,” Biden responded. “I had a meeting this morning with the Homeland Security people, with the FBI, with — for the Situation Room, for the better part of an hour to discuss how we make sure that we prevent a lone wolf and/or any coordinated effort to try to do what was done in synagogues before, do what was done to Jews in the street. We’re making a major effort to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Biden noted an important distinction between civilians that have been killed in Israel vs civilians that have been killed in Gaza.
“Look, there’s a fundamental difference. Israel is going after a group of people who have engaged in barbarism that is as consequential as the Holocaust. And I think Israel has to respond,” he said. “They have to go after Hamas. Hamas is a bunch of cowards. They’re hiding behind the civilians. They put their headquarters where civilians are and buildings and the like. The Israelis are gonna do everything in their power to avoid the killing of innocent civilians.”
He said that he was confident that Israel would do everything that it could to follow international rules of wars minimize the loss of civilians.
Biden also said that Israel needed to eliminate Hamas entirely.
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