Senior official says there is ‘total coordination’ between Israel and US on Gaza, Iran

There is “full trust and coordination” between Israel and the US, says a senior Israeli official. “Total coordination.”

“On a hostage deal, we are coordinated,” says a second Israeli official during a briefing to Israeli reporters. “We hope it will lead to a breakthrough. Hamas’s response to the Qatari proposal was, in essence, no. But the gaps are small enough for us to enter talks with them, and we hoped the answer would be yes, and then it would take a few days. It can take more time, but we are working on it.”

On Iran, says the second official, “we had diplomatic coordination before the attack, military coordination during the attack, and now once again diplomatic coordination.”

“We will very significant accomplishments” in Iran, says the senior official, “and we want to preserve them.”

“I measure my words,” says the senior official in English, “there has never been such coordination.”

The close ties are based on “trust that has been created gradually” says the senior official, not only through what has been accomplished together, but also the manner in which it was accomplished.

The senior official notes that Trump put up two pictures in the entrance to the White House — one of the president after he was shot in the ear in Pennsylvania, and one of Harry Truman, the US president who recognized Israel.