Israel ready for “any action” in Lebanon

Israel is “prepared for any action that may be necessary in Gaza, Lebanon and other areas,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday before leaving for a visit to the United States.

“The United States is our most important and central ally. Our ties are crucial and perhaps more important than ever, right now,” Gallant said amid serious tensions in relations with the administration of US President Joe Biden.

Gallant travels at the invitation of Austin. He is also scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the war in Gaza and the tense situation along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia have been exchanging fire since October 7.

US broadcaster CNN reported earlier that senior members of the House of Representatives assured an Israeli delegation of full US support in the event of a full-scale war with Hezbollah.

The eight-month-old conflict on the Lebanese border has recently intensified amid fears of a broader regional conflict that could draw in the United States as a key ally of Israel.

Gallant’s visit is overshadowed by heightened tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US administration after Netanyahu expressed sharp criticism of the US for withholding its arms deliveries in a video message broadcast Tuesday.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called Netanyahu’s video “confusing to say the least, certainly disappointing to see.”

Those comments were “deeply disappointing” and “upsetting to us,” Kirby said Thursday.