President Joe Biden on Thursday drew a direct parallel between Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s war in Ukraine and the recent Hamas attack on Israel.

Biden’s speech from the Oval Office came soon after the Pentagon announced a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer in the northern Red Sea shot down multiple missiles and drones launched by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The Pentagon said Israel was potentially the target of the thwarted attack.

On Wednesday, Biden traveled to Israel where he reiterated U.S. solidarity with Israel following Hamas’ October 7 attack on the country. The Hamas assault was the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza. At least 1,400 Israelis and at least 3,478 Palestinians have been killed, according to figures from the Associated Press. Nearly 200 people were also taken hostage in the attack.

The president stated his case Thursday for the United States to continue its support of both Ukraine and Israel.

“Hamas and Putin represent different threats but they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy,” Biden said.

Joe Biden in the Oval Office
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday addresses the nation on the conflict between Israel and Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C.
Photo by JONATHAN ERNST/POOL/AFP via Getty Images