US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, that Washington “is 100% committed to Israel's security"He stressed that both countries have agreed to "work together" to confront Iran, which he describes as "a threat" to the Middle East.
The Pentagon said in a statement released after their telephone conversation that the two had held a conversation to “discuss bilateral interests, regional developments and opportunities, and security assistance priorities.”
“The Secretary reaffirmed that the United States remains 100 percent committed to Israel's security and highlighted the unbreakable bond that exists between the United States and Israel"They both agreed that Iran remains a threat to regional security and agreed to work together to address this challenge," he said, adding that the two countries "agreed that Iran remains a threat to regional security and agreed to work together to address this challenge."
Katz then praised Hegseth's "great conversation" and revealed in a message on his social media account X that he thanked him for "the support of the Donald Trump Administration in accelerating military aid to Israel, as well as his unwavering commitment to Israel's security."
“We agree. All hostages must return home and the Hamas government in Gaza must be eliminated. Iran remains the greatest threat to regional security"We will work together to prevent the US from obtaining nuclear weapons," he said, while praising the ties between the two countries as "unbreakable."
Katz's office also said in a statement that the Israeli defense minister informed Hegseth of the situation surrounding the "anti-terror" operations carried out by the army in the West Bank, while stressing the importance of the "safe zones" in Lebanon and Syria, according to the newspaper 'The Times of Israel'.
Israel has not complied with the terms of the ceasefire in Lebanon, in force since November 27, by not fully withdrawing from the south of the country and maintaining five positions, while it has invaded Syrian territory and occupied various areas following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December due to an offensive by jihadists and rebels.
The Israeli defense minister's office has said that Katz has thanked his American counterpart for his “support” in these actions, while informing him of the situation in Gaza, where Israel has blocked the entry of humanitarian aid after demanding an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire, a fact not accepted by Hamas as it was not part of the agreement reached in January.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to revive “aggression” against the Gaza Strip and stressed that Israeli authorities are “working hard” to bring about the collapse of the ceasefire agreement, in force since January 19.
(with information from EP)
Source: INFOBAE