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As Israel prepares to respond to last week’s missile attack by Iran, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is visiting the United States to hold talks with the Bide administration read more
 "As Israel prepares response to Iranian attack, Gallant to visit US for crucial talks")
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is visiting the United States to hold talks with US Secretary of Defence Yoav Gallant. (Photo: Reuters)
As Israel draws up plans to respond to Iran’s missile attack last week, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is travelling to the United States to hold crucial talks.
As the principal ally, the United States has to be on board in any major action that Israel takes. As Israel relies upon the United States and US-brokered coalition of Arab and Western nations to fend off the Iranian attack, it is critical to have the United States on board regarding retaliation as well.
Gallant will hold talks with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Wednesday to diss “ongoing Middle East security developments”, according to the Pentagon.
Last week, Iran attacked Israel with 180 ballistic missiles. It was 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.
Gallant’s visit comes as the Biden administration has urged Israel to not attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Instead, there are indications that the United States may be on board with 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.
Ahead of the visit to the United States, Gallant said on Sunday that the Israeli response was a matter of when, not if, and no one could deter the response in the making.
“Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action, should take a look at [our achievements] in Gaza and Beirut. We are powerful in both defence and offense, and this will be reflected in the manner of our choosing, at the time and place of our choosing,” said Gallant, as per The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Opposition leader Yair Lapid has also urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran’s oil refineries, which he described as Iran’s Achilles’ heel.
“This is Iran’s Achilles’ heel, a blow to its economy — the Iranian economy is in a very precarious state,” said Lapid.
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English (US) ·