Sullivan maintains that IDF operations in Rafah have not crossed level Biden warned about

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterates that Israel’s military operations in Rafah have not reached the level that the Biden administration warned against.

Sullivan in a press conference calls the IDF’s operations thus far “more targeted and limited [and they] have not involved major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas.”

He stresses that the US is following the offensive closely and “will continue to take briefings from Israel about how they are refining their approach.”

Sullivan doubles down in denying a Washington Post report claiming the US was withholding intelligence on Hamas leaders from Israel to coax Jerusalem not to invade Rafah. He insists that the US has constantly shared this intel and will continue to do so, as it has the same goal as Israel of removing Hamas’s leaders.

Sullivan says reports that none of the aid from the new temporary Gaza pier has reached civilians is false and that two-thirds of the shipments are either en route to civilians or have already reached them.

The top Biden aide acknowledges that the situation on the ground is dynamic and that the US is continuously in talks with stakeholders to ensure that the aid is secured and delivered to those in need.