US maintains pause on arms shipments to Israel while they are under review

Top aides to US President Joe Biden told the visiting Israeli defense chief this week that Washington was maintaining a pause on sending heavy bombs to Israel while the issue was under review, a senior official said Wednesday American.

The official, briefing reporters on national security adviser Jake Sullivan's meeting with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, said the allies remained in discussions about the one-time shipment of powerful munitions, which had been suspended by Biden in May due to fears that they could cause more Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza. .

Without providing details, the official said more U.S. weapons would continue to flow to Israel as the country battles Hamas militants in Gaza and confronts Lebanese Hezbollah fighters on its northern border, where hostilities are escalating has raised fears of a wider regional conflict.

Gallant warned during his visit that Israel was capable of returning Lebanon “to the Stone Age” in any war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but stressed that his government preferred a diplomatic solution pursued by states. -United.

Concluding his trip, Gallant said Wednesday that there had been significant progress on the issue of supplying U.S. munitions to Israel, adding that “the obstacles had been removed and the bottlenecks resolved.”

Gallant and U.S. officials have sought to ease tensions after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent statements that Washington was withholding weapons, prompting Biden's aides to express disappointment and confusion over the Israeli leader's remarks.

The United States in May suspended its delivery of 2,000- and 500-pound bombs over concerns about the impact they could have on densely populated areas of Gaza in the war that began with the cross-border raid Hamas murderer on October 7. But Israel still needs to obtain billions of dollars in other U.S. weapons.

“We are in discussions to find a solution,” the senior US official said on condition of anonymity. “But I think the president has expressed concerns about this one shipment, and they are completely valid concerns.”

The official acknowledged there had been “bottlenecks” in some arms deliveries to Israel, but attributed that to a “complicated bureaucratic system” of approving military aid, not a slowdown deliberate.

ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER

Gallant said he also discussed with U.S. officials the need to resolve the “security situation in the north,” insisting that Israel cannot accept Hezbollah's “military training” on the border with Lebanon.

An exchange of bombings and missile fire led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people on both sides, and the escalation raised fears of all-out war.

“We don’t want war, but we are preparing for all scenarios,” Gallant told reporters.

Gallant said he also presented U.S. officials with a three-tiered proposal for postwar governance of Gaza that would include local Palestinians, regional partners and the United States, but not Israel or Hamas. However, he gave few details to journalists and said “it's a long and complex process that depends on many things.”

The Biden administration has repeatedly urged Israel to develop a realistic post-war plan for Gaza, warning that the absence of such an arrangement could trigger chaos.

Gallant said he also discussed Israel's transition to the next phase in Gaza. The Israeli military says it is preparing to move to lower-intensity operations against remaining Hamas fighters.

Another topic of discussion for Gallant was Iran, Israel's archenemy in the region.

As Israel expresses growing concern over Iran's nuclear program, the U.S. official cited intelligence assessments that Tehran is not “currently pursuing the procedures and processes it would need to develop a nuclear explosive device.” But the official added that Iran had recently taken “provocative steps.”

The United States and Israel, the official said, are working to reschedule a strategic dialogue on Iran. A meeting planned for last week was canceled following criticism from Netanyahu.

Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.