So hey, buddy — just wondering if Vice President/Candidate Kamala Harris still thinks it is a clever idea to hold up arms deliveries to force Israel to sign your peace treaties. And, um… when do you plan on delivering the big stuff you’ve been so cleverly withholding thus far?
[IsraelTimes] Israel says it has secured an $8.7 billion aid package from Washington, which continues to urge for diplomacy over military operationsUS Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that the US would continue to provide military aid to Israel, playing down the idea of "red lines," even as he warned that an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would be devastating.
Israel rejected global calls for a ceasefire with Leb
...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...’s Iran-backed Hezbollah on Thursday, defying its biggest ally the US and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of a regional war.
Asked about "red lines" for US support to Israel, Austin told news hounds that the United States would not change its commitment to help Israel protect itself. He echoed US calls for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
"We’ve been committed from the very beginning to help Israel, provide the things that are necessary for them to be able to protect their sovereign territory and that hasn’t changed and won’t change in the future," Austin said after a meeting in London with his British and Australian counterparts.
Israel said on Thursday that it had secured an $8.7 billion aid package from the United States to support its ongoing military efforts and to maintain a military edge in the region.
Austin said that there was a risk of all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel but added that a diplomatic solution was still viable.
"We now face the risk of an all-out war. Another full-scale war [could] be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon," Austin said.
"So let me be clear, Israel and Lebanon can choose a different path, despite the sharp escalation in recent days, a diplomatic solution is still viable," he said.
He added that the quickest way for Israel to achieve its goal of returning citizens to their homes in northern Israel was through diplomacy.
Returning is easy — all the Israelis have to do is get on busses headed north to the border. It’s living in peace instead of daily rocket fire from Hezbollah that requires wiping out Hezbollah as a military organization. That is much harder, though not as hard as it might be when Hezbollah secondaries cook off following most hits.