Finance Minister and cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich denied a claim that the United States prevented Israel from striking in Gaza in recent days. In a statement to Israeli media, Smotrich said the claim "never happened."
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) issued a sharp denial on Tuesday evening to an allegation that the United States had prevented the IDF from carrying out strikes in Gaza in the recent period. In a statement carried by Israeli media, Smotrich said the claim "never happened" and dismissed it outright. The denial comes amid heightened public and political debate over the conduct of the war and the scope of Israeli operational independence. Smotrich, a senior member of the security cabinet, did not specify which reports or statements he was referring to. The claim he denied has circulated in unnamed political and security commentary, though no official source has confirmed that such a US intervention occurred. The Zioneer has not independently verified the original allegation.
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