Rafah offensive by Israel didn't cross Biden's 'red line,' White House says

White House officials told reporters that Israel’s airstrike on Rafah on Sunday that killed two senior Hamas terrorist leaders and dozens of civilians does not violate President Biden’s "red line," mainly because the strike did not represent a major ground operation.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed reporters during a White House press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, during which time he was asked a barrage of questions about the attack on the southern Gazan city of Rafah, and when the U.S. will change its stance on Israel’s attacks.

Israel conducted an airstrike on a Hamas compound in Rafah on Sunday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed.

One reporter asked Kirby about the attack, which struck an encampment in a densely populated area.

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Kirby told the reporter the whole area of Rafah is densely populated and that a million people had evacuated the area.

The reporter asked how the strike did not violate a "red line" laid out by the president.

"We don’t want to see a major ground operation," Kirby said. "We haven’t seen that at this point."

Kirby continued to say the White House does not want to see a single innocent life taken.

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Reporters continued to press Kirby on the matter, asking if Biden had a personal limit that needed to be reached before stepping in or changing his stance.

"The president has been very clear and very direct about what our expectations are for Israeli operations in Rafah specifically, but in Gaza…we don’t support, we won’t support a major ground operation in Rafah," Kirby said. "And, we’ve been very consistent