Israel’s defense chief to discuss Gaza, Lebanon on US visit Reuters

Written by Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant headed to Washington on Sunday to discuss the next phase of the war in Gaza and the escalating conflict on the border with Lebanon, where a firefight with Hezbollah has sparked fears of wider conflict.

Iran-backed Hezbollah began attacking Israel shortly after an October 7 attack by Hamas sparked a war in Gaza, and the sides have been trading blows in the months since. Hezbollah has said it will not stop until the fighting in Gaza ends.

“We are prepared for any action that may be necessary in Gaza, Lebanon and elsewhere,” Gallant said in a statement before heading to Washington, where he said he would meet with his counterpart Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

By early June, Hezbollah had been targeting Israeli cities and military bases with heavy rockets and drones in the war’s biggest so far, after an Israeli strike killed Hezbollah’s top commander so far.

US Ambassador Amos Hochstein visited Israel and Lebanon last week in an effort to ease tensions, amid cross-border fire and increased rhetoric on both sides. An Israeli soldier was seriously injured on Sunday during a drone strike, the military said.

Some Israeli officials have linked Israel’s attack on Rafah – in the southern Gaza Strip where it says it faces the last battles of the Islamist group Hamas – with the focus on Lebanon.

Gallant appeared to make the same link in his statement.

“The transition to Phase C in Gaza is very important. I will discuss this transition with American officials, how it can do more things and I know that we will achieve close cooperation with the US on this issue,” said Gallant.

Pulling back the operation in Gaza would free up forces to take on Hezbollah, should Israel launch a ground attack or increase its aerial bombardment.

POST-WAR PLAN

Officials described the third and final phase of Israel’s offensive in Gaza as an end to fighting as they stepped up efforts to stabilize a post-Hamas regime and begin rebuilding the area, much of which has been destroyed.

Gallant, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, has clashed with the prime minister in recent months, demanding a clear post-war plan for Gaza that would not leave Israel in charge, a demand echoed by the White House.

Netanyahu has been walking the streets as he seeks to keep his government together by balancing the demands of the defense establishment, including former generals like Gallant, and coalition partners who oppose any post-Gaza strategy that could pave the way for a future Palestinian state.

The head of the Israeli Parliament’s Foreign and Defense Committee, Yuli Edelstein, told Army Radio on Sunday that fighting Hezbollah will be difficult, now or later.

“We are not in the right situation to hold a war in the south and the north. We will have to spread it in different ways in the south to fight in the north,” said Edelstein, who is also a member of Likud.

Edelstein criticized Netanyahu’s video released last week in which the prime minister said the Biden administration was “withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel.” The video has led to controversy with the White House.

President Joe Biden’s administration halted the shipment of 2,500-pound bombs in May due to concerns about their impact if used in heavily populated areas of Gaza. Israel had yet to receive billions of dollars worth of US weapons.

“I’m hoping that more will be achieved in closed-door discussions than in efforts to create pressure through videos,” Edelstein said, referring to Gallant’s trip.

Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

The attack has killed more than 37,400 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and left almost all of the people in the area homeless and destitute.