Skip to main content

Israeli foreign minister denies reports of Lebanon talks, interceptor shortages

1 min Mena Today

Israel's foreign minister on Sunday denied reports that Israel could soon hold direct talks with Lebanon and rejected claims it had told the United States it was running low on interceptors.

Gideon Saar © Mena Today 

Gideon Saar © Mena Today 

Israel's foreign minister on Sunday denied reports that Israel could soon hold direct talks with Lebanon and rejected claims it had told the United States it was running low on interceptors.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Saturday that Israel and Lebanon were expected to hold direct talks in the coming days. Semafor also reported that Israel had informed Washington it was running critically low on ballistic missile interceptors.

Both reports cited unnamed sources.

Asked about the weekend reports, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said: "For the two questions, the answer is no."

He also said that Israel sees "eye-to-eye" with the U.S. in the war with Iran, now in its 16th day, and that the two allies were determined to continue until their goals are achieved.

"We want to remove the existential threats from Iran for the long term. We don't want to go every year to another war," he told reporters.

Saar was speaking from a Bedouin Arab town in northern Israel near an Israeli Air Force base where homes were damaged in an Iranian missile attack last week.

Reporting by Alexander Cornwell

Related

Gaza

Gaza plan needs urgency, Hamas talks difficult: envoy

The Board of Peace’s lead envoy for Gaza told Reuters on Monday that he was “fairly optimistic” a plan for disarmament of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza can be agreed but cautioned that it will still take time.

Lebanon

Israel and Lebanon plan new round of talks in U.S.

Israeli and Lebanese representatives will hold talks in Washington on Thursday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson and an Israeli source speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters on Monday.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.