Israel warns US defense chief Iran aggression has ‘reached all-time high’

In a Monday meeting with U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned "Iran’s aggression has reached an all-time high" as the U.S. scrambles to broker a cease-fire deal with Hamas after nearly 11 months of war. 

"To counter this, we must work together to achieve and project groundbreaking capabilities in all arenas," Gallant said according to a readout of the meeting from Tel Aviv, which was also attended by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

Gallant highlighted the "strategic junction" that Israel finds itself in as it stares down threats from Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north — both of which are heavily backed by Iran. 

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Despite U.S. attempts to garner a cease-fire deal in coordination with Egypt and Qatar, Hamas has yet to agree to any terms so long as Israeli forces are permitted to remain in security corridors throughout Gaza. 

Details of the cease-fire talks remain unclear, but on Monday Gallant looked to remind Brown what Israel’s primary aims are in its war in Gaza, including the dismantlement of Hamas, ensuring the return of hostages first taken by the terrorist group following the Oct. 7 attacks, and "changing the security situation along Israel’s northern border so that the region’s communities may safely return to their homes."

Since Oct. 7, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza claims some 40,000 Palestinians have been killed — though it does not differentiate the number of civilians versus the number of terrorists killed. Nearly another 700 Israeli soldiers and roughly 1,200 Israeli civilians have also been killed since the Hamas attack. 

But despite the ongoing fighting in Gaza, some security officials argue the biggest threat Jerusalem faces is in the north, where it routinely exchanges missile and drone fire with Hezbollah. 

The meeting between Brown and Gallant came one day after the world watched with concern that an all-out-war between Israel and Hezbollah — and by extension Iran — had finally begun following threats from Tehran last month.

On Sunday, Hezbollah said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones at northern Israeli military positions. Jerusalem said it too had fired upon southern Lebanon using 100 warplanes to launch a series of preemptive strikes on Hezbollah strongholds where thousands of rocket launchers were reportedly positioned in a move to thwart an imminent attack. The IDF said no Israeli military installations were hit during the Hezbollah attack.

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The exchange appears to have resulted in three deaths in Lebanon, and one Israeli soldier was killed, though by mid-morning Sunday the assault was over. 

Reports on Monday suggested the long-awaited attack by Iran and Hezbollah, which resulted in a relatively limited number of casualties, may have eased concerns of a broader war in the Middle East.

But comments made by Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, on Monday signified the threat posed by Iran has not diminished. 

"What we witnessed yesterday is only part of that revenge," he said, according to Arab news outlet Al Mayadeen English. "Revenge against the Israeli entity is inevitable."

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The exchange of fire on Sunday does not appear to have altered any of the progress in the ceasefire talks with Hamas, according to White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby on Monday.

"There continues to be progress. Our team on the ground continues to describe the talks as constructive," he told reporters. "Despite the rocket and drone attack by Hezbollah over the course of the weekend, which Israel did a terrific job defending against, it has not affected the actual work on the ground by the teams trying to get the ceasefire deal in place."

Kirby said there remains a sense of "urgency" in trying to get a ceasefire secured.