Israeli Defense Minister visits Washington amid growing fears of war between Lebanon and Israel

June 23, 2024

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Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will arrive in Washington on Sunday to discuss the war in Gaza and the growing risk of a direct confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Mr. Gallant will meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior officials in Washington.

The talks are “particularly important and impactful at this time,” Gallant said as he left Israel. “We are prepared for any action that may be required in Gaza, Lebanon and other areas.”

The Iran-backed Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel shortly after the October 7 Hamas-led attack sparked a retaliatory war in the Gaza Strip.

In the months that followed, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged numerous cross-border firefights, but both sides have ramped up their rhetoric and the intensity of their attacks in recent weeks, stoking fears of impending war. Last week, Hezbollah released drone footage of the Israeli military base in Haifa.

Hezbollah has attacked Israeli cities and military sites, while Israel has advanced deep into Lebanese territory. At the same time, the Biden administration has tried in vain to bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a detente on the Israeli-Lebanese border.

US envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel and Lebanon last week to prevent a “larger war” in the Middle East.

The previous Sunday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Beit Hillel in northern Israel, while Israeli airstrikes hit Kafr Kila and Taybeh, two villages in southern Lebanon.

Mr Gallant’s trip to Washington, which his office said was at the invitation of Mr Austin, comes at a time of tensions between the Biden administration and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said the US would slow down arms deliveries to its ally Israel, which has angered the White House.

Washington says it has stopped only a single shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel over fears they might be used in Rafah without sufficient regard for civilian lives. Otherwise, billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, missile defense systems, bombs and other military equipment have continued to flow to Israel.

Mr Netanyahu repeated that claim on Sunday, but suggested the problem could soon be resolved.

“Given what I have heard in the last 24 hours, I hope and believe that this problem will be resolved in the near future,” Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting.

Netanyahu is scheduled to address the U.S. Congress next month, a move that has infuriated the White House as President Joe Biden tries to contain growing Democratic anger over Netanyahu’s handling of the war and his almost unconditional support for Israel.

Gallant is a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party, but the two have clashed publicly in recent months. The defense minister demanded that Israel present a clear plan for post-war Gaza that would not leave Israel in control, a demand supported by the White House.

“The United States is our most important and central ally. Our relationship is critical and perhaps more important than ever at this time,” Mr Gallant said before departure.