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General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's military leader, downplayed Western sanctions threats on Saturday, saying that contacts between Sudanese and Israeli officials were about security cooperation rather than politics.

On Oct. 25, al-Burhan spearheaded a military coup that halted a collaboration between the army and civilian parties that was supposed to lead to democratic elections, igniting months of protests and international condemnation.  

Officials in the United States claimed they are considering ways to respond to the deaths of at least 79 demonstrators, according to a medic's count, as well as to moves obstructing what they described as "civilian-led governance."

Al-Burhan said sanctions or the threat of sanctions were "of no use" in his first interview on state television since the coup, claiming that Washington was receiving false information.

Sudan’s military leader claimed that after the coup, meetings between Israeli and Sudanese authorities had lacked high-level envoys and had resulted in the capture of extremist cells.

He also reiterated that Sudan's military will exit politics after a civilian government is elected in 2023.

Al-Burhan affirmed the readiness of the Sudanese army to hold a dialogue on a transitional period in case of agreement, stressing that no one has the right to discuss reforming the army unless they have an elected government.