The Biden administration’s warning that it could be forced to withhold military aid to Israel if the Jewish state does not improve the humanitarian crises in Gaza was not intended to be a “threat,” according to a U.S. official.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote a letter to two Israeli officials over the weekend, informing them that Israel had to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, particularly in the northern part of the enclave, or risk violating U.S. law regarding U.S. foreign military sales.