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PM Netanyahu and US president-elect also discuss Syria and the hostages held in Gaza during phone call
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed US President-elect Donald Trump in a call on Saturday night of his determination to act against Hezbollah and Iran. The two leaders also discussed the situation in Syria, as well as efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
”We are committed to preventing Hezbollah from rearming,” Netanyahu added in a video statement quoted by Times of Israel on Sunday. “This is an ongoing test for Israel, we must meet it – and we will meet it. I say to Hezbollah and Iran in no uncertain terms – to prevent you from harming us, we will continue to act against you as much as necessary, in every arena and at all times.”
Netanyahu called the conversation with Trump a “very friendly, very warm, and very important conversation” in the video statement quoted by Times of Israel.
He claimed that recent airstrikes against Syrian military sites were carried out “to thwart the potential threats from Syria and to prevent the takeover of terrorist elements near our border.” “We have no interest in a conflict with Syria,” Netanyahu added, arguing that Israel has changed the whole region. “Syria is not the same Syria, Lebanon is not the same Lebanon, Gaza is not the same Gaza, and the leader of the axis – Iran – is not the same Iran,” the PM said.
After militant groups led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS) took power in Syria last weekend, Israel launched a major operation, reportedly striking weapons stockpiles and naval vessels that belonged to former president Bashar Assad’s army.
Israeli troops are also remaining in the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Israel and Syria, claiming it is a temporary “sterile defense zone” in southern Syria to prevent any “terrorist threat.” Earlier on Sunday Netanyahu declared that a decision to expand Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights was made “in light of the war and the new front facing Syria.”
In an interview on Saturday HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Julani called on the international community to intervene in the situation and “assume its responsibilities towards this escalation.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israeli cities, killing some 1,200 people and abducting over 250. According to Israeli officials, around 100 hostages remain in captivity. Immediately after the attack West Jerusalem launched a war in Gaza, killing nearly 45,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
