No ‘direct role’ for US military at this time in Israel’s new plan for Gaza, Pentagon says
"If we are asked to support, we of course stand ready at the president's direction," the U.S. Defense Department press secretary said.
Aerial view of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. military is not a part of the Israeli Security Cabinet’s newly announced plan in Gaza, including taking Gaza City, Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary, told an Associated Press reporter during the Defense Department’s press briefing on Thursday.
“Israel is preparing to retake Gaza,” the reporter said. “What role is the U.S. military playing in that effort?”
“I’ll just echo what the president has said. He wants to alleviate the suffering for the people of Gaza. He wants to see peace in the Middle East and in that region in particular,” Wilson said. “We are in full support of that. The department does not at this time have a direct role, but if we are asked to support, we of course stand ready at the president’s direction.”
Asked if the Defense Department is ready to help with aid, “the way the last administration did,” Wilson said that the Pentagon is “always ready if asked and tasked to deliver,” although she didn’t want to “get ahead of the president.”
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A reporter wanted to know if Pete Hegseth, the U.S. secretary of defense, “supports the Israeli plan to occupy all of Gaza, as Prime Minister Netanyahu just announced today?”
“I am not saying anything about our position in terms of that. Again, I would defer to the president and to the White House there,” Wilson said. “He is going to be the one that is leading these negotiations. The DOD’s role is to make sure that if we are called upon to support in some capacity, we’re doing that.”
Wilson also declined to “get ahead of the White House” when asked if the Pentagon has been asked to prepare plans for boots on the ground in Gaza “in case the administration took the decision to support the distribution of aid and food.”
Wilson has drawn criticism from Jewish groups for her past comments questioning military aid to Israel.
US plan seeks to disarm Hezbollah by year-end, IDF to leave Lebanon
The plan by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, which was discussed at a Lebanese Cabinet meeting on Thursday and which Reuters received a copy of, calls for Hezbollah to be stripped of its weapons before the end of the year.
On Nov. 26, Jerusalem and Beirut reached a deal aimed at ending more than a year of cross-border clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah. The terrorist group began attacking the Jewish state in support of Hamas following its terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Since the ceasefire, the IDF has carried out regular strikes to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities in violation of the truce.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has rejected demands to disarm in line with the deal. Last month, he warned that Hezbollah terrorists were “recovering and ready now” to confront Jerusalem.
© JNS
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