‘You Don’t Have That Many Credits’: US Told Israel to Wrap Up Gaza War by End of 2023 – News18

US President Joe Biden’s administration told Israel this month that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has until the end of 2023 to conclude its war in Gaza against Hamas.

A report by Politico said that US secretary of state Antony Blinken reportedly warned Israel last week that it has weeks to wrap up the fight. However, on Friday, the US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said that Washington did not give a “firm deadline” to Jerusalem.

When Israeli officials outlined their plans to the US diplomat and informed him that the fighting in southern Gaza would last for several months, Blinken was not happy. “You don’t have that much credit,” Blinken “tersely retorted”, according to Politico.

However, Israel brushed off the retort and appeared to take steps that would defy the request by the US – which is its biggest backer. It is noteworthy that Israel has defied the US in the past and several times since October 7.

“They advised us not to go into Gaza, but we did. We went into Gaza because that was the only way we could destroy Hamas and free our hostages. They told us, don’t go into the terror tunnels. But if we don’t go into the terror tunnels, there’s no way we can destroy Hamas,” an Israeli official was quoted as saying by Politico.

“They told us not to go into the hospitals despite them being used by Hamas as command and control centres, but we went into those hospitals, and we did what we needed to do. And we’ll do what we need to do to reach decisive victory,” the official further added.

Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah and its skirmishes with Israel on Israel’s northern border is another cause of concern for the US because it does not want Iran and Lebanon to enter the ongoing 2023 Israel-Hamas war.

Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in cross-border firing and each side has blamed the other for the violence. More than 110 people have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border since October, mostly Hezbollah fighters and more than a dozen civilians, according to an AFP tally. Separately, three Hezbollah fighters and a Syrian were killed on Friday in an Israeli drone strike on their car in the south of Syria.

The US is afraid the Israel may soon turn its attention to the northern areas bordering Lebanon after defence minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday told a group of mayors and municipal leaders that the Israeli government will focus on driving Hezbollah back from the Lebanese border.

According to the UN resolution 1701, which brought the 2006 Lebanon war to a close, Israel was told to withdraw all its forces from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah was told to ensure no military presence south of the Litani river.

However, Hezbollah did not follow the obligations outlined in the UN-brokered bargain and has enmeshed itself in southern Lebanon and in positions overlooking Israel’s northern border communities, intensifying rocket attacks and cross-border firing following October 7 attacks.