Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday held a telephone conversation with US President Biden for the third time…reports Asian Lite News
The first plane carrying US armaments landed in southern Israel on Tuesday evening, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
“The first plane carrying US armaments has since arrived at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel this evening,” posted IDF on X.
However, the IDF did not reveal the kinds of weapons or military equipment it received.
As Israel wages war with Hamas, US President Joe Biden’s administration has begun delivering munitions to Israel this week.
“The cooperation between our militaries is a key part of ensuring regional security and stability in times of war,” IDF’s post added.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday held a telephone conversation with US President Biden for the third time.
Biden reiterated that the “US stands by Israel” and “fully supports its right to defend itself,” the Israeli PM said while thanking him for “unreserved support”.
“Since our last conversation, the scale of this evil has only grown. They abducted dozens of children, burned them and executed them. They cut off the heads of soldiers, they murdered the young people who were celebrating at a festival in the wild…We have not seen such barbarism in the entire history of the State of Israel…,” Netanyahu posted on X.
As the war against Hamas has completed four days, over a thousand Israelis have been killed, more than 2,800 are injured and 50 are confirmed hostage or missing, IDF said.
It also said that over 4,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza so far on Israel. On the other hand, over 770 Palestinians have also been killed in air raids after Israel launched a strong counter-offensive. The Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 770 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded in Israeli air raids. Among the dead are 140 children and 120 women, a ministry spokesperson said.
A day ago, in a stern warning to Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “though Israel did not start this war” but “will finish it”.
“Israel is at war. We didn’t want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. But though Israel didn’t start this war, Israel will finish it,” said Netanyahu in an address to the nation.
Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, firing a barrage of rockets into the southern and central parts of the country.
Blinken will travel to Israel
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel “to engage our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground,” the US said on Tuesday.
“Secretary of State Antony J Blinken will travel to Israel and Jordan October 11-13, 2023, where he will meet with senior officials,” said the US Department of State in a statement.
The Secretary will also “reiterate his condolences for the victims of the attacks against Israel”. He also condemned those attacks in the strongest terms.
“The Secretary will also reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with the government and people of Israel,” the statement said.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Blinken “looks forward to meeting with senior leaders in the Israeli government and continuing the discussions he and the president have been having with them since the initial attacks on Saturday…”
Blinken will also discuss measures to bolster Israel’s security and underscore the United States’ unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself, the statement added.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday National Security Adviser of the US, Jake Sullivan said it was unclear how many American citizens were taken hostage.
“We do not know about their condition, and we cannot confirm a precise number of American citizens. We will work hour by hour, both to determine whether we can account for any of those Americans, or to confirm exactly what the number of Americans are being held hostage, and we will come back to you with that information as soon as we have it,” Sullivan said.
“As you know, very sadly and tragically, the number of dead has risen with each passing hour, and that’s true of the total number, it’s also true of Americans, which has gone up just today from an earlier report this morning of 12 and 13 – now 14…,” he added.
President Joe Biden has also confirmed the death of 14 Americans in Israel adding that there were more US hostages in Israel.
Noting that the US knows that American citizens are among those being held by Hamas, Biden said that he has directed his team to share intelligence and deploy additional experts from across the US government.
Earlier, Biden said that in the wake of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel, the local and federal law enforcement partners in the US cities are closely monitoring for any ‘domestic threats’.
He also said that the ‘tragedy’ incurred by Israel is personal for many American families as the ties between the two nations run deep.