Pentagon says Gallant’s US trip postponed after Netanyahu sets last-minute demands

Israel has informed Pentagon that it is postponing Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s trip to the US where he was scheduled to meet Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday.

“We were just informed that Minister Gallant will be postponing his trip to Washington, DC. Secretary Austin looks forward to seeing him soon,” AFP quoted Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh as saying to journalists.

According to a Times of Israel report, Gallant was supposed to fly in the next few hours but his trip was blocked as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted to first speak with President Joe Biden about Israel’s planned retaliation against Iran, and wants the security cabinet to first approve the planned response.

The two leaders haven’t spoken in nearly fifty days amid growing frustration in Washington with Netanyahu’s handling of the war and perceived lack of strategy for how to bring it to an end, added the report.

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As the principal ally, the US has to be on board in any major action that Israel takes. As Israel relies upon the US and US-brokered coalition of Arab and Western nations to fend off the Iranian attack, it is critical to have Washington on board regarding retaliation as well.

Last week, Iran attacked Israel with 200 ballistic missiles, the second such attack this year.

Israel was joined in defensive efforts by a US-brokered coalition involving the Americans, British, French, and Jordanians. A similar coalition helped Israel fend off the previous Iranian attack in April.

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Biden administration had urged Israel to not attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Instead, there were indications that the US may be on board when it came to attacking Iranian oil refineries, which is one of the main sources of revenue for Iran.

There are concerns in the world that any attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure or the widening of conflict in West Asia could disrupt global energy market and raise prices.

With inputs from agencies