Biden returns to D.C. a day early to consult national security team on Iran-Israel row

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President Biden briefly spoke to reporters about Iran in the South Court auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Friday. / Getty Images

President Biden is returning to the White House a day early from his house in Rehoboth Beach, Del., to consult with his national security team about events in the Middle East, the White House said.

Biden had been scheduled to return to Washington on Sunday but is returning on Saturday afternoon.

It comes after Iranian commandos seized an Israeli-affiliated container ship near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.

Biden on Friday said an attack from Iran against Israel could happen sooner rather than later, and warned Tehran against the attack.

"Don't," he said, when asked what his message was to Iran.

"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel. And Iran will not succeed," Biden said.

Israel has been on alert for a possible attack from Iran after an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, two weeks ago.

Iran said the strike killed two of its generals and several other members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. Iran said Israel was responsible; Israel has neither confirmed nor denied being behind the attack.

Biden spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a week ago about the threats that Iran had made against Israel.

"As I told Prime Minister Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel's security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad. Let me say it again: ironclad," Biden said at a press conference on Wednesday. "We're going to do all we can to protect Israel's security."

He has been briefed multiple times a day on developments, said John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, who declined to comment on the nature or timing of the threat.

Kirby reiterated that the potential attack is a threat to specifically Israel, but said the U.S. was was also "doing everything we can to protect our our people and our facilities."

On Friday, a defense official said the U.S. was moving "additional assets to the region" to protect U.S. troops and bolster deterrence efforts.

"It would be imprudent and irresponsible if we weren't also taking a look at our own force posture," Kirby said.