War against Hamas to take ‘more than several months,’ Gallant tells Sullivan
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met earlier with visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, telling him that the war against Hamas in Gaza will take “more than several months.”
“Hamas is a terrorist organization that built itself over a decade to fight Israel, and they built infrastructure under the ground and above the ground and it is not easy to destroy them. It will require a period of time — it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them,” Gallant says.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant tells visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan that the war against Hamas in Gaza will take “more than several months.” pic.twitter.com/JCmOmWO6F5
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) December 14, 2023
Gallant and Sullivan discuss operational developments in Gaza, as well as tensions in the north with Hezbollah and regional threats posed by Iran’s actions and its backing of proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria.
Gallant further expresses his gratitude for US support for Israel in the war and efforts by the Biden administration to secure the release of hostages taken by terrorists on October 7.
“Thank you for coming to Israel during this period of war — we appreciate it very much,” Gallant says in a statement. “We appreciate your personal commitment to the State of Israel – to releasing the hostages, and to the diplomatic effort [you are leading] and your support in the military channel.”
“The United States and Israel share common interests, common values and in this war, we [also] share common goals. This is important to the State of Israel and it is essential to the rest of the region, to the Middle East,” he adds.
Sullivan arrived in Israel earlier amid rising tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the war. On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said Israel was losing global support in the war against Hamas due to “indiscriminate bombing” in the Palestinian enclave, a remark several officials including White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby have since tried to soften.
Biden, who has provided unprecedented support for Israel since the outbreak of the war, went after Netanyahu and members of his hardline coalition over their opposition to a two-state solution, while warning that Israel was losing international backing and that the prime minister “has to change.”
Kirby said Wednesday that the president’s comments “reflected the reality of global opinion, which also matters. Our support for Israel is not diminished, but we have had concerns and we have expressed those concerns about the prosecution of this military campaign, even while acknowledging that it is Hamas that started this and that it’s Hamas that is continuing it.”
He said Israel has been acting on the “intent [to reduce civilian casualties] in positive ways.”
