US keeps pause on one bomb shipment to Israel while it is under review
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Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (left) met US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who said the US was working urgently in pursuit of a diplomatic agreement to calm the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON - US President Joe Biden’s top aides told the visiting Israeli defence chief this week that Washington is maintaining a pause on a shipment of heavy bombs for Israel while the issue is under review, a senior US official said on June 26.
The official, briefing reporters about National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s meeting with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, said the allies remain in discussions about the single shipment of powerful munitions, which was paused by Mr Biden in May over concerns they could cause more Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza.
Without providing specifics, the official said other US weapons will continue to flow to Israel as it battles Hamas militants in Gaza and faces Lebanese Hezbollah fighters on its northern border, where escalating hostilities have spurred fears of a wider regional conflict.
Mr Gallant warned during his visit that Israel was capable of taking Lebanon “back to the Stone Age” in any war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but stressed that his government prefers a diplomatic solution being pursued by the US.
Wrapping up his visit, Mr Gallant said earlier on June 26 that there had been significant progress on the issue of US munitions supply to Israel, adding that “obstacles were removed and bottlenecks were addressed”.
Mr Gallant and US officials sought to cool tensions following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent claims that Washington was withholding weapons, prompting Mr Biden’s aides to express disappointment and confusion over the remarks
The US in May paused a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs Hamas’ deadly Oct 7 cross-border raid.
“We are in discussions ultimately to find a resolution,” the senior US official said on condition of anonymity. “But I think the President has expressed his concerns about that one shipment, and those are very valid concerns.”
The official acknowledged there have been “bottlenecks” in some weapons deliveries to Israel but attributed that to a “complicated bureaucratic system” for approving military assistance, and not any deliberate slowdown.
Israel-Lebanon border
Mr Gallant said he also discussed with US officials the need to resolve the “security situation in the north”, insisting that Israel cannot accept Hezbollah “military formations” on the border with Lebanon.
An exchange of shelling and missile strikes has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people on both sides, and escalation has sparked fears of an all-out war.
“We do not want war, but we are preparing for every scenario,” he told reporters.
Mr Gallant said he also laid out to US officials a three-level “day after” proposal for governance of post-war Gaza that would include local Palestinians, regional partners and the US, but not Israel or Hamas. He offered reporters few specifics, however, and said “it is a long and complex process that depends on many things”.
The Biden administration has repeatedly urged Israel to craft a realistic post-war plan for Gaza, warning that the lack of such an arrangement could trigger chaos.
Mr Gallant said he also discussed Israel’s transition to the next phase in Gaza. The Israeli military says it is preparing to shift to lower-intensity operations against Hamas’ remaining fighters.
Another focus of Mr Gallant’s meetings was Iran, Israel’s regional arch-foe. While Israel has expressed increasing alarm over Iran’s nuclear programme, the US official cited intelligence assessments that Tehran is not “currently pursuing the procedures and processes they would need to develop an explosive nuclear device”.
But the official added that Iran had taken some “provocative steps” recently. The US and Israel, the official said, are working to reschedule a strategic dialogue on Iran. A meeting set for last week was scrapped following Mr Netanyahu’s criticism.
Iran says its nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
REUTERS
