US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has become the first government official to confirm reports that Israel successfully eliminated Hamas's number three military official, Marwan Issa, in a strike earlier in March.
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During a press briefing, Sullivan stated, "The rest of the top leaders are in hiding, likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network, and justice will come for them too. We are helping to ensure that."
Video: Israeli military steps up strikes on Hamas in Gaza's Khan Younis / Credit: IDF
The acknowledgment follows comments made Sunday by Israeli Defense Force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who claimed that Hamas was attempting to conceal the fate of Issa, the deputy commander of the terror group's military wing, second only to Mohammed Deif. Issa has been described as the terrorist organization's "strategic brain."
Sullivan further disclosed that US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel's military operations in Gaza during their call earlier Monday. He relayed that Biden "emphasiz[ed] his bone-deep commitment to ensuring the long-term security of Israel and [re]-affirm[ed]...that Israel has a right to go after Hamas, the perpetrators of the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust."
"Israel has made significant progress against Hamas. They've broken a significant number of Hamas battalions and killed thousands of Hamas fighters including senior commanders," Sullivan added, highlighting the apparent severity of the offensive against the militant group.
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