US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Blinken in a phone conversation late Wednesday night that the United States has Israel’s back if the anticipated upcoming war with Iran comes to pass.
“Secretary Blinken reiterated the United States’ support for Israel’s security and made clear that the US will stand with Israel against any threats by Iran and its proxies,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a readout following their conversation.
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“Secretary Blinken and Minister Gallant also discussed ongoing efforts to secure the release of all hostages through an agreement for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” Miller said.
All the positive vibes, however, did not stop Blinken from waggling a finger at Israel, along with a warning.
“Secretary Blinken welcomed Israel’s recent announcements of urgent steps to facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and to improve humanitarian deconfliction and coordination, reiterating that incidents such as the strike on World Central Kitchen workers must never reoccur.
“The Secretary emphasized that the United States expects Israel to quickly implement its commitments on humanitarian assistance and deconfliction and that those commitments must be sustained over time.”
Earlier this week President Joe Biden also ordered Israel to call for an unconditional “six to eight-week ceasefire” but didn’t bother to mention any requirement to return the hostages held by Hamas, in an interview with the Spanish-language Univision news outlet.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear in remarks to IDF troops the same day, however, that Israel has no such intention. “We will complete the elimination of the Hamas battalions, including in Rafah,” Netanyahu vowed. “There is no force in the world that will stop us … This enemy, after what it has done, will not do it again. It will cease to exist.”
Israel is already at war with Iran and has been since October 7 via the Islamic Republic’s proxies, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah-linked militias in Iraq.
On October 7, 2023 Hamas and its Gaza allies invaded the Jewish State, slaughtered more than 1,200 people and abducted 253 others who were dragged into Gaza captivity while raining rocket barrages on Israelis across the country. On October 8, Hezbollah likewise began launching attacks with rocket fire, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and suicide combat drones. Within days, the Houthis followed, firing explosive drones and ballistic missiles at Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat, and at shipping vessels transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab El Mandeb Strait.
Thus far 120 hostages have been returned to Israel through the efforts of the IDF and a temporary ceasefire deal last November which Hamas eventually violated, ending the agreement. Of the 133 hostages who remain in Gaza, at least 34 are confirmed dead, and this week Hamas told Qatari, Egyptian and US negotiators it does not know where they are and could not produce 40 living captives for another deal.
