US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan addressed reporters at the White House on Wednesday afternoon for the first time since returning from a weekend trip to Saudi Arabia and Israel at a critical moment for the relations between the countries.
Israel’s operation in Rafah was a focal point of his meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the war cabinet, he said.
Sullivan said he had reiterated President Joe Biden’s “clear position” to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
Rafah invasion
“We had detailed discussions on Rafah during my visit to Israel,” Sullivan said. “These are built on weeks now, as I’ve discussed with you from this podium of discussions on a professional basis about Rafah and about how Israel can achieve the defeat of Hamas, everywhere in Gaza, including in Rafah, while minimizing civilian harm.”
Sullivan said he was briefed by Israeli officials and Israeli professionals on refinements Israel has made to its plans to achieve its military objectives while taking civilian harm into account.
“What we have seen so far in terms of Israel’s military operations in that area has been more targeted and limited,” Sullivan said, “and has not involved major military operations into the heart of dense urban areas… We now have to see what unfolds from here.”
The White House will assess if there is a lot of “death and destruction” from this operation, or if it is “more precise and proportional,” he said.
Sullivan denied, as others in the US administration have done this week, withholding intelligence relating to the whereabouts of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar or other Hamas leaders from Israel in exchange for a minimally destructive Rafah invasion.
“We are not holding anything back,” he said. “We are providing every asset, every tool, every capability, and frankly, we have some of the best there is in the business on this. And they are hard at work with the Israeli government to help them try to achieve their ultimate objective here.”
Sullivan made no mention of conversations with Netanyahu and Israeli officials about restarting the hostage talks.
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