Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant headed to Washington on Sunday for talks on the Gaza war raging since October 7 and surging cross-border tensions with Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
The visit, which Gallant said would include meetings that are “critical to this war,” comes after a series of public statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concerning military aid, which have added strains to ties with the White House.
Netanyahu has accused Israel’s close ally and biggest military supplier, the United States, of freezing some arms and ammunition deliveries. On Sunday, he told his cabinet that these deliveries had dropped off sharply “about four months ago.”
With the exception of one shipment of heavy 2,000-pound bombs that Washington acknowledged was put under review, US officials have strongly rejected the claims made by Netanyahu about the arms.
US President Joe Biden has been at odds with Israel’s veteran right-wing leader over the surging civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip during more than eight months of war triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.
As he prepared to depart for Washington, Gallant said, “Our ties with the United States are more important than ever.”
Gallant said he would “discuss developments in Gaza and Lebanon,” adding, “We are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon and additional areas.”
With AFP
