The State Department’s counterterrorism coordinator, Nathan Sales, arrived in Tel Aviv on Tuesday for “security consultations over border difficulties.”
Sales met with a number of military and intelligence officials and toured the northern border with Lebanon and Syria, and the southern border with the Egyptian Sinai and the Gaza Strip. He was briefed by Israeli officers about Iranian militias in Syria and Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula.
“We know what the Iranians are capable of,” Sales said, as quoted by Israeli Ynetnews. He expressed hope that countries considering conducting business with Tehran, would decide against it.
In the South, the US counterterrorism coordinator said he was “amazed at the resources Hamas is investing in terror activity against Israel.”
He stressed that those were at the expense of investments in health, education and housing.
According to Sales, the United States was aware of Hamas’ priorities based on the movement’s spending.
“It is not about improving the standard of living of citizens, nor housing, nor education, but terrorism against Israel, the same principle that we see in the north by Hezbollah and Iran,” he said.
He also stressed that ISIS’ terrorist activities in the Sinai were a common concern for the United States, Egypt and Israel.
Regarding the so-called “deal of the century”, which will be announced by US President Donald Trump, Sales said Washington was taking protective measures in case of active opposition to the deal.
He said he hoped the deal would be acceptable to both sides.
“At the same time, it is difficult to predict the reactions, but Washington is taking preventive measures, whether for its soldiers or diplomats,” he added.
