(Jerusalem Post) Yonah Jeremy Bob - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at IDF military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday. Referring to Hamas' assault on Israel, Austin said, "We have seen the horrific acts of this terrorist organization. As you know, I was the one who first planned the war on ISIS. So I know ISIS very well, and it's worse than what I've seen with ISIS." "In times like these, sometimes the best thing a friend can do is just to show up and get to work. This is no time for neutrality or for false equivalence or for excuses for the inexcusable. There is never a justification for terrorism, and this is especially true after this rampage by Hamas....The deliberate cruelty of Hamas vividly reminds me of ISIS, bloodthirsty, fanatical, and hateful. Like ISIS, Hamas has nothing to offer but zealotry, bigotry, and death." In response to a question about concerns of Palestinian civilians being harmed in Israel's response in Gaza, Austin stressed that he fought alongside Israeli forces in the past and they are "professional, disciplined, and focused on the right things." In response to a question about Iran's involvement in Hamas' assault, Gallant stressed that "Iran, Hizbullah, and Hamas are one axis. Everything is directed generally from Iran, the permission is given by Iran, the money is supplied by Iran, and the ideas are shaped in Iran."
2023-10-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive