Israel will make its own decision whether or not to renew airstrikes on Iran, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told KAN News on Thursday.
“I think this is something that was certainly part of the discussions between [US President Donald] Trump and [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, and they will act in coordination, through dialogue and consultation with one another,” Huckabee said, referring to the leaders’ meeting at Mar-a-Lago last week.
“What they will do, what the United States will do, and what Israel will do will be decisions that each nation makes independently, and they will be made for the benefit of each one’s interests, in Israel’s case for Israel, and in the United States’ case for the United States,” he added.
A discussion regarding a possible Israeli strike came after the Islamic Republic had been recently shaken by civil protests, which threatened the regime's stability.
“When you think about the number of terrible things that have happened to human beings around the globe, what was felt especially here in Israel after October 7, and that the central planning for it came from Iran, then let’s hope this will be the year in which the Iranian people say: ‘We’ve had enough,’” Huckabee affirmed.
Huckabee told KAN that he does not think that US actions towards intervening would be worthy of consideration at the moment.
"Everyone is watching to see what the Iranian people are doing, what they want to see happen, and the protests are growing, and that is significant,” he said.
Huckabee: Hamas disarmament key to Gaza Phase II progress
Huckabee declared a belief that little progress had been achieved in the Gaza ceasefire deal in recent weeks.
Hamas terrorists claimed they renewed searches for the remains of St.-Sgt.-Maj. Ran Gvili on Wednesday, after a month of stagnation. Finding and returning Gvili's remains and Hamas terrorists disarming are specific conditions for the Phase II transition.
“Hamas cannot continue to delay its disarmament. They will have no future there. The president has said this from the beginning, from the moment he entered office a year ago,” Huckabee said, addressing the Trump plan and the possibility that Phase II could move forward even without the full completion of Hamas’s disarmament.
“I don’t know if there is a condition or a sequence of things that must happen. It’s a big plan - there are 20 points in the peace plan, and to the extent that different points in this peace plan can be implemented, they will be implemented.”
Regarding Lebanon, Huckabee reacted to the IDF's Thursday announcement that the Lebanese Armed Forces dismantled Hezbollah terror weapons south of the Litani River. “What I think we are seeing is that the Lebanese army is getting stronger and taking more responsibility. That was always the goal; there was always the hope and aspiration that Lebanon would control itself and get rid of Hezbollah."
"To the extent that Israel must defend itself against what was an ongoing attack of rockets and infiltrations from Hezbollah into the south, it cannot allow that to continue, and it will not allow it. I don’t think anyone in the world should expect Israel to sit idly by and say, ‘Yes, just keep threatening and killing our people,’” he added.
On Syria, Huckabee said: “There is a very clear desire on the part of Israel and on the part of Syria to end any sense of hostility. There will be concern, and there will be defense. Israel will defend its borders. It has made that very clear. The president has made that very clear. He understands this fully, respects it, and also expects it. Israel will not allow itself to be vulnerable to another October 7.”