President Joe Biden is expected to engage in a pivotal phone call with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Wednesday morning to address Israel’s intention to retaliate against Iran following its ballistic missile strike on Israel last week, according to three U.S. officials who spoke with Axios on Tuesday.

This phone conversation will be the first between Biden and Netanyahu in the past two months.

On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu spent several hours consulting with key ministers as well as the leaders of Israel’s military and intelligence services to determine the scale and timing of their impending response to Iran, two Israeli officials shared with Axios.

The officials suggested that Israel’s retaliation would be significant, likely consisting of air strikes on Iranian military targets, coupled with covert actions. There is also the possibility of hitting Iran’s oil facilities, a strategy Biden has indicated he would not support.

A Netanyahu aide told Axios that once a final decision is reached, Netanyahu will inform Biden accordingly.

“We want to use the call to try and shape the limitations of the Israeli retaliation,” a U.S. official told Axios.

News of the Biden-Netanyahu discussion follows the cancellation of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s scheduled visit to Washington, originally set for Wednesday. Netanyahu informed Gallant that his trip would be postponed until after the phone call with Biden and the Security Cabinet’s approval of Israel’s attack plans.

A source with knowledge of the situation noted that the Biden-Netanyahu conversation had already been arranged before the disagreement between Netanyahu and Gallant came to light.

{Matzav.com}