Israeli defense chief visits US as Hezbollah tensions rise
Yoav Gallant will hold talks with US officials in Washington this week
What happened
As Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrived in Washington on Sunday for several days of talks with top officials, Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his refuted claim that the U.S. was holding up Israeli munition shipments. The Israeli prime minister also said the ground war in Gaza was winding down and he will send more troops to Israel's border with Lebanon as fighting with Hezbollah tips toward war.
Who said what
Netanyahu told Israel's right-wing TV network Channel 14 that decreased fighting in Gaza meant he can send "some of our forces north." He said he hopes the fighting with Hezbollah could be solved by diplomatic means, but "we can fight on several fronts and we are prepared to do that" unless the militants moves far back from the Israeli border.
Hezbollah warned last week that it has new weapons and intelligence capabilities, and would likely be joined by tens of thousands of other Iran-backed fighters if war broke out. U.S. Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Charles Q. Brown said Iran "would be more inclined to support Hezbollah" than Hamas, and the U.S. would be less able to help Israel against close-range attacks from Lebanon.
Responding to Netanyahu's claims about weapons bottlenecks, the White House said it won't "keep responding to the prime minister's political statements," adding, "we look forward to constructive consultations with Defense Minister Gallant in Washington this week."
What next?
Gallant will discuss the Gaza and Hezbollah situations with his U.S. counterparts but he also has "another, more subtle mission," Semafor said: "To repair the rift between the U.S. and Israel" after Netanyahu's barbs.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
‘Congratulations on your house, but maybe try a greyhound instead’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How climate change poses a national security threatThe explainer A global problem causing more global problems
-
The 5 best TV shows about the mobThe Week Recommends From the show that launched TV’s golden age to a Batman spin-off, viewers can’t get enough of these magnificent mobsters
-
‘Are we just going to stand in passive witness to the degradation of our democracy?’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Two years on, a Gaza truce may be in sightFeature Israel and Hamas consider the U.S.’ 20-point peace plan exchanging hostages for prisoners
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new MideastSpeed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
-
Has the Gaza deal saved Netanyahu?Today's Big Question With elections looming, Israel’s longest serving PM will ‘try to carry out political alchemy, converting the deal into political gold’
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Gaza peace deal: why did Trump succeed where Biden failed?Today's Big Question As the first stage of a ceasefire begins, Trump’s unique ‘just-get-it-done’ attitude may have proven pivotal to negotiations
-
Can Trump bully Netanyahu into Gaza peace?Today's Big Question The Israeli leader was ‘strong-armed’ into new peace deal
-
Five key questions about the Gaza peace dealThe Explainer Many ‘unresolved hurdles’ remain before Donald Trump’s 20-point plan can get the go-ahead
