Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon met Wednesday with senior members of Congress, among them Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives, and other top defense officials in Congress.
Ya’alon discussed a number of strategic and security-related issues with the Congressmen, and presented them with information on the situation in the Middle East from Israel’s perspective.
During the meeting, Ya’alon expressed Israel’s condolences over the mass murder in San Bernadino, California, which took place as the meeting was going on.
“We just heard about this, and we send our condolences to the families of the murdered and our best wishes to the injured that they heal quickly,” he said. “I realize that this is a difficult night for you.”
Ya’alon told the officials that Israel “greatly appreciated the support of the United States and the cooperation between the defense, military, and defense establishments in both our countries. We have especially had excellent intelligence cooperation with the US, and it has borne important fruit.”
Among the issues Ya’alon discussed were Syria, Iran, and the ongoing violence in the Islamic State. “Despite the agreement, the Iranian threat continues to remain. Iran is more sure of itself, and is set to get more money as sanctions are lifted. They have more opportunities to rearm and fund terrorism. As a result, Hezbollah is stronger, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad are benefiting from Iranian weapons and experience.”
In addition, he said, Iran was reaching out to the rest of the world to export its terror, both in the Middle East and elsewhere.
“As a result, we must be prepared and ensure that the IDF can meet the challenges that face it not just in the immediate future, but for years in the future. We need tactical weapons that will let us defend ourselves more effectively from the air, on land, and at sea, as well as digitally, on-line,” Ya’alon noted.
“The support of the US is a bedrock of our defense,” added Ya’alon. “We believe that we are on the same page with you on all the major defense issues that face us.”
