United States officials are discussing with Israeli authorities its need for additional military aid. But they are not yet ready to announce its allocation, information regarding this may be presented on Sunday. This statement was made by a high-ranking US administration official at a special briefing.
“In terms of Israel’s military needs, we have been focused on that from day one of the administration,” the White House official said.
The official assured that the US is committed to providing Israel with “everything it needs to protect its citizens.”
“That has been the unwavering commitment [of the US]. It was reaffirmed today. We are consulting deeply with the Israelis about some of their specific needs as they respond to this horrific attack on the Israeli state and the Israeli people,” the official said, referring to the possibility of providing the Jewish state with additional security support.
The official noted that Washington does not now have data that would indicate direct Iranian involvement in organising Saturday’s attacks against Israel.
“In terms of Iran’s involvement, I mean specifically in what happened today, it’s too early to say whether the Iranian state was directly involved in the planning and support. I’m not going to get ahead of myself. We will be following this very closely. However, there is no doubt that Hamas is being funded, equipped, armed by Iran and other [countries],” the US official said.
The official added that the US will continue to impose sanctions against Tehran “for supporting Hamas and other terrorist organisations.” He also expressed confidence in Iran’s “full-throated support for Hamas.”