JERUSALEM, Israel – A public spat over U.S. weapons to Israel is grabbing headlines. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims President Joe Biden is withholding weapons Israel desperately needs, while many eyes are shifting to the battle in northern Israel.
Netanyahu says he thanked U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for U.S. support when he was here recently but also mentioned a holdup in weapons.
"I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. Israel, America's closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies," the prime minister stated.
Blinkien insists the U.S. is committed to Israel's security. "We have a commitment to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against a whole variety of threats," Blinken said. "Gaza is part of it. But it far surpasses Gaza in terms of the threats they face."
Netanyahu believes if Israel has what it needs the war will go faster. Citing history, he said, "During World War II, Churchill told the United States, Give us the tools, we'll do the job. And I say, give us the tools and we'll finish the job a lot faster."
Blinken admits Biden earlier held up one shipment of heavy bombs to try to persuade Israel not to invade Rafah in Gaza. But he contends some shipments are stuck in the slow system and will eventually get to Israel.
"Many of the systems that are moving through our system are ones that have been on order for, in some cases, years," Blinken explained. "It takes a long time to move these things, and a number of the things that are going to Israel won't get there for years."
Behind the scenes, the White House reportedly is furious over Netanyahu's comments. Axios reports it canceled a high-level meeting with Israeli officials over long-term Iran policy.
However, The Wall Street Journal reports a holdup in the sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets approved last month. Some Democrats in Congress are pressuring the president to withhold U.S. weapons to force a peace deal.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took Israel's side and blamed election-year politics in the U.S. He called on everyone to support America's ally, especially while it's under siege.
"Israel needs the weapons the President has withheld," McConnell asserted. "It needs the time and space to finish the job against the terrorists trying to destroy it. It needs the freedom to operate on its own timetable, based on tactical reality in the Middle East, not on political winds in Washington."
The weapons talk goes on as Biden's envoy Amos Hochstein traveled from Israel to Lebanon, attempting to head off an all-out war between Iran's proxy Hezbollah and the Jewish state.
In Beirut, he insisted the fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border is destructive and has gone on long enough.
"Innocent people are dying, property is damaged, families are shattered and the Lebanese economy continues to decline. The country is suffering for no good reason," Hochstein stated.
Hezbollah released drone footage showing areas deep inside Israel, including Haifa Bay, crucial military targets, and populated civilian zones, sending the obvious message that the terror group can easily hit these targets in case of an expanding war.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces announced the military's top generals in the north approved "operational plans" for an offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah.
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