Gallant leaves for Washington: 'Meetings with the administration are crucial to the future of the war''

June 23, 2024   

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant took off tonight (Sunday, the 9th) for an official visit to Washington, after being invited by US Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin. During the visit, Defense Minister Gallant is expected to meet at the Pentagon with his counterpart, Defense Secretary General Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and other senior officials in the White House, the State Department, Congress and the US government. The focus of his trip will be on the continuation of the actions required to achieve the war goals, the political efforts to return the kidnapped, the steps required to strengthen regional stability and the special cooperation between the defense establishment and the US government, with an emphasis on the processes of equipping and projecting joint power, to preserve Israel's qualitative advantage in the Middle East. The Defense Minister will be accompanied on his trip by the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Defense Shahar Katz, the Military Secretary to the Minister of Defense, Maj. Gen. Guy Marchisano, and the head of the political security division at the Defense Ministry, Brigadier General (res.) Dror Shalom. The Defense Minister said before boarding the plane: "I am leaving for the United States tonight at the invitation of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The United States is our most important and central ally, and the ties between us are especially important, perhaps more than ever, these days. "I will meet in the United States with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and other senior officials in the American administration. In these meetings, I will discuss the situation on the Gaza front, on the Lebanese front - they are of crucial importance at this time. We are prepared for any action that may be required - both in Gaza, Lebanon, and in other places. "The transition to Phase 3 in the Gaza Strip is of great importance. I will discuss this transition with senior officials in the American administration, the way in which it can also enable other things, and I know that we will reach close cooperation between Israel and the United States on this issue as well.".