Antony Blinken says US and Israel will review intel failure, goal remains to repel Hamas

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that both the U.S. and Israel will review what led to the intelligence failure that left the Middle Eastern country surprised by Hamas’s fatal terror attack on Saturday.

“We have a very close relationship with Israeli intelligence, as well as with the Israeli military, as well as with Israel more broadly. So, yes, of course, this is something that they and we will be looking at,” he told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s This Week.

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Hamas deployed the attack on Israelis in southern cities and towns bordering the Gaza Strip, which has long been the subject of contention between Israel and other countries in the area, as well as between Israel and Palestinian people, millions of whom live on the strip. Hundreds have been killed so far following armed terrorists invading Israel, and others have been kidnapped and brought into the Gaza Strip territory.

Stephanopoulos questioned Blinken as to whether such an intelligence blunder would be addressed, to which the secretary of state said it would. “But the effort right now has to be in dealing with the aggression from — from Hamas with these attacks,” Blinken said.

The host noted, “There are implications to the United States, as well, of course,” asking Blinken to confirm, “We rely on Israeli intelligence, don’t we?”

While Blinken didn’t specifically confirm this, he ensured that the issue would be looked into.

Reiterating the focus of pushing back on the Hamas attacks, he added, “The focus is also on taking steps to make sure, to the best of their ability for Israel, that this doesn’t repeat itself.”

“This is the worst attack on Israel since 1973, the Yom Kippur War, almost exactly 50 years ago,” the secretary of state emphasized.

“But there’s a fundamental difference, that was a war that was state to state, country to country, army to army. This is a massive terrorist attack that is gunning down Israeli civilians in their towns, in their homes, and, as we’ve seen so graphically, literally dragging people across the border with Gaza, including a Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair, women and children.”

“The world should be revolted at what it’s seen,” he added.

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Blinken noted that “The entire government has been engaged throughout the region and well beyond, both to build support for Israel and to make sure that every country was using whatever means it has, whatever influence it has, to pull Hamas back and also to make sure that we don’t see conflict erupt in other areas.”

“The president sent a very clear message that no one should try to take advantage of this elsewhere,” he continued.