US hosts Netanyahu’s aides amid concern full-on war with Hezbollah
- June 21, 2024
Top US officials hosted their Israeli counterparts for meetings in Washington on Thursday, as concern in Joe Biden’s administration reportedly mounted over the potential opening of a full-blown northern front to the Gaza war.
The White House did not issue a readout of the meeting Netanyahu’s top aides held with Sullivan and one issued by the State Department after their sit-down with Blinken was a regurgitation of long-held US talking points regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
Blinken “reiterated the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” the State Department readout said, adding that the trio discussed the ongoing talks to secure a hostage deal and ceasefire agreement. Those negotiations have been stuck since Hamas responded to Israel’s latest proposal last week with a long list of amendments. The US has said some of the changes are workable, while others are not. Qatari and Egyptian mediators have since been in talks with Hamas aimed at convincing the terror group to come down from its demands.
The top US diplomat “emphasized the need to take additional steps to surge humanitarian aid into Gaza and plan for post-conflict governance, security, and reconstruction,” the US readout said.
Blinken “also underscored the importance of avoiding further escalation in Lebanon and reaching a diplomatic resolution that allows Israeli and Lebanese families to return to their homes,” the US readout said.
