ISRAEL: IDF Rafah Op. Appears To Fall Short Of 'Red Lines', US State Dept

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller has told reporters that the United States is "deeply saddened" by the loss of life from an Israeli air strike in Rafah, Gaza, but stopped short of confirming if the strike crossed a threshold to withhold the transfer of offensive weapons to Israel.

• Miller says that Israel has the right to "go after" Hamas which he notes "appears to have been Israel's aim," and says "Hamas should stop hiding behind civilians in Gaza."
• As has been the case in previous press conferences, Miller stresses that Israel must do, "everything possible to minimize civilian harm." Says the administration has reached out to Israel to, "express its deep concern," and says the US will be "watching closely" the results of an IDF investigation.
• Miller says that State hasn't been able to verify reports of Israeli tanks present in Rafah - an action which may also cross a 'red line' for the Biden administration and compel a change of policy.
• More broadly on Rafah, Miller says: "We have made clear what our policy is with respect to Rafah. We do not want to see major military operations take place there [as in Khan Younis and Gaza City]."
• Miller adds: "At this point we have not seen a military operation on the scale of those previous operations... so far this is a different type of operation."
• Miller's comments suggest that, despite widespread international condemnation of the Israeli strike, US policy is unlikely to change significantly in the coming days.