Netanyahu further defies US, says 'Israel' to 'fight with fingernails'
3 Min Read
The Israeli prime minister further defies US warnings against a military operation in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, front, attends a wreath-laying ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre, in al-Quds, occupied Palestine, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that "Israel" was prepared to "stand alone" in its genocidal war on Gaza after Washington threatened to stop supplying some weapons if an invasion of Rafah goes ahead.
"If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone," Netanyahu said in a statement.
His latest comment came after US President Joe Biden warned in an interview for CNN on Wednesday that he would stop some US weapons supplies to "Israel" if it goes ahead with a large-scale invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where the United Nations says some 1.4 million people are sheltering.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday that the US had already paused one shipment of "high payload munitions" to "Israel" and was "reviewing near-term" shipments amid a looming invasion of Rafah.
But "Israel" defied international objections and Israeli occupation forces raided the eastern part of the city and occupied the main Rafah crossing with Egypt, even after Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire and prisoner swap deal presented by mediators in Doha and Cairo.
"We will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails," Netanyahu stressed on Thursday.
Later, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed that the Israeli occupation army had "enough weaponry to complete our mission in Rafah."
He mentioned in a televised address that "the United States has helped us in an unprecedented manner since the start of the war."
"We have our own interests and we are sensitive to the US interests," Hagari said.
A senior Israeli official said Tel Aviv submitted its "reservations" about the Hamas proposal for a prisoner swap deal, Reuters reported.
"Israel" also declared that this round of ceasefire talks in Cairo had ended, with CIA Director William Burns returning to the United States.
The official pointed out that the Israeli regime plans to proceed with its operation in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip.
But White House National Security Advisor John Kirby underlined that the United States believes there are better ways to go after Hamas than invading Rafah.
He stressed that "Israel" undertaking a major Rafah operation will not advance the objective of both Washington and Tel Aviv of defeating Hamas in Gaza.
"Smashing into Rafah, in [US President Joe Biden's] view, will not advance that objective," Kirby told reporters.
Moreover, the White House communicated "concerns" to the Israeli occupation regarding the use of heavy bombs in Rafah, adding that Washington could help "Israel" target Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar.
Read more: 'Israel' threatens to halt negotiations after US blocked arms delivery
