by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant cautioned that “Iran’s aggression has reached an all-time high” during a Monday meeting with U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown in a meeting held in Tel Aviv on Monday.
Gallant emphasized the “strategic junction” Israel faces as it confronts threats from Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north, both of which receive significant support from Iran.
“To counter this, we must work together to achieve and project groundbreaking capabilities in all arenas,” Gallant stated, according to a readout of the meeting from Tel Aviv.
The meeting between Gallant and Brown occurred just one day after global concerns intensified, as the world feared that an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah—and, by extension, Iran—had finally begun following threats from Tehran last month.
Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke to Reuters after concluding a three-day trip to the Middle East, which included a visit to Israel.
When asked if the immediate risk of a regional war had decreased, Brown responded, “Somewhat, yes.”
“You had two things you knew were going to happen. One’s already happened. Now it depends on how the second is going to play out,” Brown remarked while departing from Israel.
In a video message from northern Israel, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Herzi Halevi announced, “I just concluded a visit with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States military at the Northern Command. We are enhancing operational cooperation to address the challenges and threats in the Middle East.”
He further emphasized the IDF’s resolve, stating that they are “very determined to continue to harm Hezbollah, to eliminate more and more commanders, and to deprive it of assets and capabilities. We are not stopping.”
On Sunday, Israel launched a preemptive strike against Hezbollah, targeting hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon as they prepared for a major attack against the Jewish state. In response, Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets and drones at Israel. This was one of the most significant clashes in the more than 10 months since the war began following Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
Israel remains under threat from Iran and its proxy groups, the Pentagon stated Monday, as Tehran officials reaffirmed their right to attack the Jewish state while also expressing support for any Gaza ceasefire deal that may be worked out between Israel and Hamas.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi emphasized that the Islamic Republic reserves the right to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Araqchi stated that Iran’s response would be “definite, calculated, and accurate,” according to the official statement.
During a press conference at the Pentagon, U.S. National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby stated, “We have to assume that Iran remains postured and prepared.”
“It’s a dynamic situation, and we have to treat it as such,” Kirby said, just a day after the IDF’s dramatic preemptive strike against drones and missiles in Lebanon, which Hezbollah had planned to launch against Israel early Sunday. The Pentagon also reiterated its belief that Israel remains under threat from Iran and its proxies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani downplayed the success of the IDF’s strike on Sunday, asserting that Israel had lost its deterrence power and that the strategic balance in the region had shifted against it due to Hezbollah’s attacks.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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