Blinken meets Netanyahu, promises more arms support

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 12, 2023. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday, pledging support and more weapon deliveries for Israel. (Haim Zach/GPO/Handout via Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday, pledging support and more weapon deliveries for Israel.

In a live broadcast statement alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken said that more shipments of U.S. arms were "on the way." A cargo plane carrying the first shipment of advanced weaponry landed in Israel on Tuesday.

"As long as America exists ... we will always be there by your side," Blinken said, reiterating U.S. President Joe Biden's pledge on Tuesday that Washington will provide additional military assistance to Israel.

Netanyahu vowed that "just as ISIS was crashed, Hamas will also be crashed." He urged the international community to cancel ties with Hamas, adding that contacts with the group "should be sanctioned."

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Saturday launched a surprise attack on southern Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting Israel to launch retaliatory strikes on Gaza.

Both sides have suffered heavy casualties, with a death toll amounting to more than 2,600 as of Thursday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2nd R, Rear) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C, Front) at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 12, 2023. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday, pledging support and more weapon deliveries for Israel. (Haim Zach/GPO/Handout via Xinhua)