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Gantz speaks to Lloyd Austin in 1st post-election call between Israeli and US officials
Defense Minister Benny Gantz, right, meets with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on May 19, 2022. (Shmulik Almany/GPO)
Defense Minister Benny Gantz speaks with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in the first public contact between senior Israeli and US officials following yesterday’s Knesset elections.
The two discussed Israel’s ongoing counterterror campaign in the West Bank, as well as Iran’s “malign activities” in the region and “recent provision of UAVs used for attacks in Ukraine,” according to a statement from Gantz’s office.
“The ministers agreed on the need to address Iranian aggression,” the statement says.
Gantz appears set to be replaced as defense minister, with his National Unity party announcing it will head to the opposition after former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc seemed to clinch a clear majority in the election.
