JOINT BASE ANDREWS, United States, Aug 2, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - US President Joe Biden said Thursday that he was concerned about soaring tensions in the Middle East and had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly reach a Gaza ceasefire deal.

"I'm very concerned about it," Biden told reporters as he met freed US prisoners returning from Russia, adding that the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran had "not helped" the situation.