Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris said on the 6th, despite the Biden administration’s dissuasion, regarding Israel’s de facto expansion of the war to Lebanon and other countries, “We will not stop putting pressure on Israel and Arab countries in the region (for a ceasefire).”
In a two-minute-long interview video released by the CBS current affairs program “60 Minutes” ahead of its main broadcast on the same day, Vice President Harris made this statement when asked, “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to be going his own way. Does this mean that the United States has no influence over Prime Minister Netanyahu?” Vice President Harris said, “We are making our principles clear and continuing to consult diplomatically with the Israeli leadership,” adding, “These (our principles) include the need for humanitarian assistance, the need to end this war, the need to release the hostages and negotiate a ceasefire (in the Gaza Strip).”
Regarding security assistance to Israel, he said, “The assistance we provided allowed Israel to defend itself and its people from 200 ballistic missiles (launched by Iran).” “Given the threat that Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran pose, it is without question America’s duty to do what we can to help (Israel) defend itself from these types of attacks.”
Harris’s campaign said that Vice President Harris will also appear on ABC’s “The View,” Hardy Stern’s radio show, and CBS’s talk show for interviews. Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galland in Washington, D.C. on the 9th to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
The meeting is taking place amid Israel’s announcement of its intention to retaliate against Iran’s massive missile attack, Reuters reported.