‘War for our existence’: Benjamin Netanyahu slams US over ammunition

Benjamin Netanyahu digs in over claims the US has withheld ammunition from Israel in a new row with Washington as the IDF says it is impossible to destroy Hamas in Gaza.

Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the US of withholding ammunition from Israel. Picture: AFP.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country needs ammunition from the United States in “the war for its existence”, in a new row with Washington.

Mr Netanyahu made the remarks in a direct address to the White House after it criticised him for complaining about arms deliveries related to the Gaza war.

“I am prepared to suffer personal attacks provided that Israel receives the ammunition from the US that it needs in the war for its existence,” he said in a statement.

The Israeli leader’s comments came after he angered Washington with a video statement this week accusing it of “withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel”.

US officials have said they were not aware of what Netanyahu was referring to. “Those comments were deeply disappointing and certainly vexing to us, given the amount of support that we have and will continue to provide,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists earlier on Thursday.

Washington said that there is only one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs that is under review because of concerns about their use in densely populated areas in Gaza.

The tensions between the allies ramped up aid an escalating feud between Mr Netanyahu and the Israeli Defence Forces, after the military’s top spokesman said it was impossible to destroy Hamas in Gaza.

“The idea that we can destroy Hamas or make Hamas disappear is misleading to the public,” military spokesman Daniel Hagari told Israeli television on Thursday (AEST), in a rebuke to Mr Netanyahu who has refused to accept an end to the war or even a ceasefire unless Hamas is eradicated as a power in Gaza.

Fear is growing among the families of hostages held in Gaza that Mr Netanyahu’s intransigence will see none of them freed, as the Wall St Journal reports that as few as 50 may still be alive.

The Prime Minister’s Office pushed back on Rear Adm. Hagari’s comments, saying: “The security cabinet headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu defined the destruction of Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities as one of the goals of the war. The IDF is of course committed to this.” it said.

The eight month war in Gaza has shown the difficulty of battling Hamas, with the militant organisation being removed from one area only to regroup once Israeli troops withdraw. The IDF leadership has argued that Hamas can only be defeated if it is replaced with another governing authority in Gaza.

“What we can do is grow something different, something to replace it,” Rear Adm. Hagari said Wednesday. “The politicians will decide” who should replace Hamas, he said.

The war is at risk of escalating into a wider conflict, with increasing concerns conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group will become all-out war.

On Thursday Hasran Nazrullah, the leader of Hezbollah, warned none of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict, after Israel said it had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive.

US officials are reportedly seriously concerned Israel’s air defence systems, including the Iron Dome, would be overwhelmed in the case of an all-out war with Hezbollah.

Three officials told CNN Israel is planning to move systems around Gaza to the north.

“We assess that at least some” Iron Dome systems “will be overwhelmed,” a senior US administration official is quoted as saying.

Overnight, Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for a deadly air strike in south Lebanon that Israel said killed a Hezbollah operative.

Hezbollah also claimed several other attacks on Israeli troops and positions.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is due to meet his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday.

AFP