Netanyahu says US arms crucial to defeat Hamas, 'deter' Hezbollah
The flow of U.S. arms to Israel is necessary in order to “defeat Hamas” and “deter” Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.
“Now this is crucial. It’s crucial for our common war aims to defeat Hamas and to prevent an escalation in Lebanon to a full-fledged war to have this supply,” Netanyahu told U.S. news portal Punchbowl News in an interview published Friday.
“Because, otherwise, it hinders Israel’s ability to fight this war, which is an actual war of survival and multi-front war against Iran,” he added.
“We’ll win this war against Hamas, deter a future war in the north with this Hezbollah and assure our common interest in the Middle East,” Netanyahu went on to say.
He noted there has been “a great slowdown in the provision of the important ammunition and weapons.”
“I’m not talking about F-35s or F-16s that are years down the line. I’m talking about what is necessary now to both win the war in Gaza quickly and avoid a war in Lebanon that, in the absence of such a correction, the risks of it breaking out are increasing,” Netanyahu added.
New tensions emerged this week between President Joe Biden's administration and Netanyahu over the Israeli premier's public criticism of U.S. weapons deliveries -- comments the White House described Thursday as "vexing" and "disappointing."
The issue began when Netanyahu claimed in a video posted on social media earlier this week that the U.S. administration -- Israel's main military backer -- has been "withholding weapons and ammunitions" from his country in recent months.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that "we genuinely do not know what he's talking about."
With the exception of "one particular shipment of munitions," Jean-Pierre said "there are no other pauses. None."
She was referring to a shipment of 2,000 pound bombs that Washington has said is under review because of concerns about their use in densely populated areas.
Source: Naharnet
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