CNN
—

President Joe Biden had a “direct” 30-minute phone call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. It was the first conversation in nearly two months and an opportunity to discuss Israel's planned response to an Iranian missile attack.

“They discussed a number of topics,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said after the call ended, describing the conversation as an extension of discussions between U.S. and Israeli officials about Israel's response to the Iranian attack, which Biden said was “proportionate.” should be.”

But neither it nor a brief description of the call from the White House sent a few hours later provided further details about Israel's planned retaliation for last week's rocket fire.

A reading at the White House described Biden as “unequivocally” condemning the Iranian missile attack without delving further into the two leaders' discussion of Israel's response, which was the reason for the call and which Biden said it must not include any attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

That the two leaders said nothing for 49 days amid rapidly escalating tensions in the Middle East was a sign of how strained the relationship has become and how far the two leaders have drifted from their goals for the region .

Biden is increasingly frustrated that Netanyahu appears to be dismissing his advice and recommendations and publicly rejecting his attempts to lower temperatures in the region. Some American officials have privately speculated that the Israeli leader is seeking to bolster Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the weeks before November's election.

After U.S. officials said last month they were caught off guard by the Israeli operation that killed Hezbollah's leader in Lebanon, Biden's advisers made it clear to their Israeli counterparts that it was important to coordinate potentially escalating actions, if nothing else , because this could put American troops stationed in the region at risk.

Biden made clear last week that he expects to speak with Netanyahu before any possible retaliation against Iran over its missile attack. However, it was not clear after their phone call on Wednesday how much about Israel's plans had actually been shared.

The White House said the two leaders exchanged views on Lebanon, with Biden emphasizing the need for a “diplomatic agreement” that would allow Israeli and Lebanese citizens displaced by violence along the border to return to theirs Homes to return.

The wording appeared to deliberately avoid calling for a ceasefire along the border, which the US had recently pushed for but which Netanyahu rejected.

Instead, Biden “affirmed Israel's right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of rockets and rockets into Israel in the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to reduce harm to civilians, particularly in Beirut's densely populated areas.” to keep it as low as possible.” ”

And he again pushed for “renewed diplomacy” to restart stalled talks over a ceasefire and hostage-taking agreement in Gaza, where he also pushed for the restoration of humanitarian aid routes.

According to the White House, the leaders agreed to “remain in close contact in the coming days, both directly and through their national security teams.”

Vice President Kamala Harris joined the call earlier in the day via a secure phone line from New York. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, she declined to elaborate on the conversation, telling Dana Bash that it was classified. Still, she acknowledged the importance of the conversation, the first between Biden and Netanyahu since August 21.

“It was an important call,” she said.

Biden himself revealed little of their conversation when asked about comments about Hurricane Milton on the call, saying only that they “didn't talk about the storm.”

But a visitor to the Oval Office suggested after the call that the president had urged Netanyahu to bring an end to the violence in Gaza.

Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris, who was in Washington to mark the 100th anniversary of U.S.-Ireland diplomatic relations, told reporters that Biden “left me in no doubt” that his conversation with Netanyahu was “a conversation of substance and depth “In view of Israel's actions, humanitarian assistance must be provided to bring about a ceasefire.”

American officials have hoped to limit Israel's response to Iran as the region teeters on the brink amid rising fears of a larger war. The president said he opposed attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities and recommended an attack on Iranian oil reserves.

However, how much weight Biden's words will carry is an open question, and US officials are extremely skeptical of Netanyahu's willingness to listen to Biden's advice.

Still, Biden insisted that he speak to Netanyahu before Israel's next steps, saying he felt it was important to express his views directly.

The long silence between the two men reflected a relationship that had deteriorated over the past year. Biden is increasingly frustrated that Netanyahu appears to be dismissing his advice and recommendations and publicly rejecting his attempts to lower temperatures in the region.

According to reports published this week by Washington journalist Bob Woodward, previous telephone conversations showed Biden deeply annoyed by his interactions, including the use of profanity to describe his Israeli counterpart.

The White House, which declined to comment on these reports, insisted that the two men have a working relationship.

“The president and the prime minister have known each other for decades and their conversations, their relationship have always been honest and direct, and this 30-minute conversation they had today was also direct and very productive,” Jean-Pierre said.

This story has been updated with additional details.