Biden Compares Putin to Hamas as US Navy Takes Rare Action to Defend Israel

President Joe Biden on Thursday drew a direct parallel between Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine and the recent Hamas attack on Israel.

Biden's speech from the Oval Office came soon after the Pentagon announced a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer in the northern Red Sea shot down multiple missiles and drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The Pentagon said Israel was potentially the target of the thwarted attack.

On Wednesday, Biden traveled to Israel where he reiterated U.S. solidarity with the nation following Hamas' October 7 attack. The Hamas blitz was the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. At least 1,400 Israelis and at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures from the Associated Press. Nearly 200 people were also taken hostage in the attack.

The president stated his case Thursday for the United States to continue its support of both Ukraine and Israel.

"Hamas and Putin represent different threats but they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy," Biden said.

During a Thursday press briefing, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder said the USS Carney shot down three land-attack cruise missiles and several drones that were launched by Houthi forces earlier in the day.

"Information about these engagements is still being processed, and we cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting but they were launched from Yemen, heading north along the Red Sea, potentially towards targets in Israel," Ryder said.

He added that the U.S. has "the capability to defend our broader interests in the region and to deter regional escalation and broader expansion of the conflict that began with Hamas' attack on Israeli civilians on October 7."

Biden did not reference the Red Sea incident during his speech, but he strongly denounced Hamas while emphasizing the organization did not represent all Palestinian people.

"Hamas' stated purpose for existing is the destruction of the state of Israel and the murder of the Jewish people," he said. "Hamas uses Palestinian civilians as human shields, and innocent Palestinian families are suffering greatly because of that."

In discussing Putin, Biden said the Russian leader "denies Ukraine has or ever had real statehood."

"History has taught us that when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction," he said. "They keep going."

Update 10/19/23, 8:54 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more information.

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