President Joe Biden was on the verge of taking "draconian measures" after an Israeli military drone strike killed
in the Gaza Strip in April 2024, but U.S. intelligence that Iran was about to launch an "unprecedented" prevented Biden from moving forward, according to Brett McGurk, a top Middle East adviser to four presidents.
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Iran → take → presidents
In an interview with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" taped Thursday, McGurk described Biden as "fed up" with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza.
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McGurk → tap → Gaza
"At that moment, if not for that impending missile attack, which we then had to deploy military forces …
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we → have → forces
I think we would have taken some pretty draconian measures against Israel," he said, adding that cutting off U.S. weapons to Israel "was very much on the table."
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cutting → think → table
The U.S. and its Arab and European partners helped protect Israel from the Iranian attack, which McGurk said included 120 ballistic missiles, 170 drones and 30 cruise missiles that were "all launched to land at the same time."
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that → help → time
In his new memoir titled "Brink," which is set to be published Tuesday, McGurk recalled a tense conversation between Biden and Netanyahu around that time in which the U.S. leader warned the prime minister he could end the weapons supply.
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he → title → supply
At the time, the Israeli government said it believed there were more than 130 hostages in Gaza and around 34,000 Gazan deaths, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
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it → say → Health
"You think I'm Santa Claus?
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I → think → ?
No Santa in Israel, pal," McGurk quotes Biden as saying.
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McGurk → quote → Biden
In McGurk's interview with CBS News, the longtime foreign policy aide recounted the Biden administration's initial reaction to Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, its handling of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, the efforts to secure an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal, the role of Iran and — starting years earlier — a long-sought push to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
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aide → recount → Israel
McGurk is no longer working with the Bidens and is currently a CNN contributor.
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McGurk → work → Bidens
McGurk: "If you just stop American support for Israel, that is not going to end the crisis"
Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war has drawn years of scrutiny — including from within his own party.
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handling → stop → party
During the 2024 presidential campaign, the administration faced
to stop military aid to Israel amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
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administration → face → Gaza
The U.S. is the largest weapons supplier to Israel, and provides billions in aid.
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U.S. → provide → aid
A
of Israel's conduct found that it was "reasonable to assess" that Israeli security forces have used U.S.-made weapons in ways "inconsistent with" international humanitarian law obligations.
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forces → find → obligations
Casualties in Gaza, "including high levels of civilian casualties," raised "substantial questions as to whether the IDF is using" U.S.-made weapons "effectively in all cases," the report said.
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report → include → cases
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen
in November 2024 that Biden didn't use U.S. leverage effectively, arguing he sent Israel "more bombs and more money" after Netaynahu disregarded his requests, and pointed to U.S. laws blocking arms shipments to military units that violated human rights.
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that → use → rights
Since then, debates over the future of U.S.-Israel relations have has been directed at McGurk, who was the White House National Security Council's coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa and one of his most influential advisers.
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who → direct → advisers
Some of the criticism that the Biden administration was not strong enough in its response to Israeli actions in GazaMcGurk noted that the Biden administration did
to Israel, including 2,000-pound bombs but never instituted a weapons halt.
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administration → note → halt
He believes some of the calls to go further may not have been effective.
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some → believe → calls
"Israel also has one of the largest arms industries in the world, so the idea that had Biden gone further on a step on that course, it would have stopped the war, I just think the record does not support that," McGurk said.
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McGurk → have → that
McGurk also argued that exerting too much public pressure on Israel could have hardened Hamas' stance, ultimately setting back the negotiations to end the war in Gaza and release the hostages.
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exerting → argue → hostages
"I come back to the question: How do you end this crisis?" he said.
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he → come → crisis
"And I think the record shows: If you just stop American support for Israel, that is not going to end the crisis, it's going to make it worse."
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it → think → crisis
At the same time as the Israel-Hamas war, attacks on U.S. forces by Iranian-backed proxy groups surged.
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attacks → back → groups
McGurk pushed Biden to punish Iran in an effort to deter the attacks, and expressed some frustration with Biden administration colleagues who were wary of striking Iranian officials in response.
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who → push → response
What would've happened if Iran "made a dash" toward weapons-grade uranium
McGurk said part of Biden's goal was to prevent the outbreak of a broader regional war.
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part → happen → war
In December 2024, McGurk traveled to Israel with national security adviser Jake Sullivan as they worked toward a deal with Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages.
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they → travel → hostages
During the visit, according to McGurk, Netanyahu talked about taking out nuclear sites in Iran, including at Fordow, a facility built inside a mountain that processed and stored highly enriched uranium.
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that → accord → uranium
Fordow was one of the three Iranian nuclear sites that President Trump ordered to be bombed
, eight months before the Trump administration and Israeli forces launched a wider war against Iran.
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administration → order → Iran
McGurk said the Biden administration was concerned in late 2024 that Iran "might make a dash" toward making weapons-grade uranium, and officials were open to carrying out strikes if there were evidence obtained that showed Iran was making a bomb.
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Iran → say → bomb
Iran had been building up a stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium, which is a short step from the material required to build a bomb.
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which → build → bomb
"We actually had a principals committee meeting — that's everybody around the table — what would we do if we see that?" McGurk said.
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McGurk → have → that
"And as I recall, unanimity on: We would do the strike in Fordow.
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We → recall → Fordow
We didn't see that.
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We → see → that
We sent a message to Iran, don't even think about it.
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We → send → it
But yet Netanyahu was clearly contemplating that.
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Netanyahu → contemplate → that
Hamas and Israel
that led to the release of some hostages a month after that, just days before President Trump was inaugurated and the Biden national security team left the White House.
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team → lead → House
McGurk said he and Mr. Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff "agreed we're going to work in lockstep."
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we → say → lockstep
He described how the Biden and Trump teams put pressure on both Hamas and Israel.Hamas
in October 2025, as part of another ceasefire agreement.
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teams → describe → agreement
…and 30 more, not listed.
The Aporia
