Netanyahu Tells Blinken Israel Will Proceed With Rafah Operation

Wires reporting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a Tel Aviv meeting today, that Israel will proceed with a ground invasion of Rafah, "even if we have to do it alone."

• Netanyahu's comments are consistent with recent remarks from high ranking Israeli officials resisting a major diplomatic offensive from the Biden administration and Washington Democrats warning against a new military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah.
• Axios reports that Blinken, warned Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet that Israel's security and its place in the world are in peril, and "you might not realize it until it's too late."
• It is unlikely that an operation in Rafah will start imminently. A high-ranking Israeli delegation will travel to Washington next week to discuss strategy with US counterparts next week.
• Blinken's meeting with Netanyahu comes before the United Nations Security Council vote today on a US-resolution which explicitly calls for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire for the first time. The resolution, which is expected to be vetoed by Russia and China, falls short of previous resolutions by making a ceasefire contingent on a hostage deal with Hamas but signals another shift in US diplomatic posture away from unconditional support for Israel.
• Elsewhere in the region, CIA Director Bill Burns will attend hostage talks in Qatar today with security counterparts and leaders from Israel, Qatar, and Egypt.