Obama: Israel Has Right to Defend Itself

Barack Obama spoke in Bangkok on Sunday during a tour of Asia. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Israel has a right to defend itself from missiles being aimed at the country by militants in the Gaza Strip, US President Barack Obama has declared.

Speaking in Bangkok during a tour of Asia, he said that "no country on earth would tolerate missiles raining down" on its people.

He added that any effort to resolve the conflict in Gaza "starts with no missiles being fired into Israel's territory," BBC informs.

However, Obama warned that escalating the offensive with Israeli ground troops could undermine any hope of a peace process with the Palestinians.

"We're going to have to see what kind of progress we can make in the next 24, 36, 48 hours," Obama also said.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israeli forces were ready to expand their now five-day old military operation against the Palestinian enclave.

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