Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had a “very warm” phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump. During the phone call, the Israeli premier emphasised the Jewish nation’s need to ensure “victory” in its war against Hamas and shared his stance on the ongoing situation in Syria. Following the call, Netanyahu shared a video statement highlighting the key points of his conversation with Trump.
According to the Israeli Prime Minister, the two leaders discussed a range of issues during the call, which took place on Saturday evening. This included Israel’s commitment to prevent Lebanon-based Hezbollah from rearming and Israel’s conflict with Hamas, which has killed nearly 45,000 Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The leaders also spoke on the immediate need to bring back the remaining hostages in Gaza. “I discussed all of this again last night with my friend, US President-elect Donald Trump,” Netanyahu said. “It was a very friendly, very warm and very important conversation. We spoke about the need to complete Israel’s victory, and we also spoke at length about the efforts we are making to free our hostages,” he added.
The Israeli prime minister assured that the country would continue to “work tirelessly to bring our hostages home, both the living and the dead. And I add, the less we talk about it, the better, and so with God’s help, we will succeed.”
Confrontation with Syria is not on the cards
In his address, Netanyahu mentioned the situation in Syria where the rebel groups overthrew the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Israeli premier made it clear that the country has “no interest in a conflict” with Syria and would “adjust its policies” according to the emerging ground realities.
Israel has maintained that the measures taken in the highly contentious Golan Heights are temporary and Netanyahu has previously insisted Israel has “no intention” of intervening in Syria’s internal affairs. However, in the Sunday address, Netanyahu condemned Syria for “allowing Iran to arm Hezbollah” through its territory. “This is an ongoing test for Israel, we must meet it – and we will meet it. I say to Hezbollah and Iran in no uncertain terms – to prevent you from harming us, we will continue to act against you as much as necessary, in every arena and at any time,” he said.
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