ABC News is learning one of Israeli prime ministers,
Netanyahu's closest advisors, is visiting the White House today,
where officials plan to discuss a time frame for the
next phase of this war.
ABC's Jay O'Brien is tracking it all from the White
House for us.
Jay, what do we know about this meeting so far?
Yeah, Phil, the, the key advisor that you're referring to
is a guy named Ron Dermer,
who's the head of strategic affairs with a minister rather
for strategic affairs in
Netanyahu's government in Israel. He's a close advisor of the
Israeli prime
Minister's He is meeting this afternoon,
administration officials say, with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken here
at the White House,
as well as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
It comes at a crucial inflection point in that conflict
in Gaza.
And it begins two different questions really at once.
The first is what kind of role does the US
have in discussions with Israel as a campaign as its
campaign in Gaza continues to intensify?
the US has long sought for somewhat of a cooling
off of Israel's campaign in Gaza and more of a
precision campaign there.
Additionally, the other question that hangs over this meeting is
what becomes of Gaza after this war?
Who controls Gaza after this war?
We know that administration officials have publicly advocated for a
two step state solution,
with the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank,
perhaps playing some role in Gaza.
And so the question becomes,
what does this meeting and the continued communication that the
White House has been having with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The president spoke with him just this weekend.
What kind of impact does this have as the conflict
continues?
Yeah, And Jay, this is all not happening in a
vacuum.
This meeting is coming as concerns of a widening war
in the Middle East are growing.
the US carried out as we've reported air strikes on
Iran backed militant sites in response to a series of
attacks on U.S.
forces. What are you learning about how all of this
unfolded? Well, the connection that you've got to remember,
Phil, to that ongoing war in the region is that
since that Israel Hamas war began,
the Pentagon says that there have been
100 attacks on US and other coalition forces in Iraq
and Syria.
A lot of the militant groups that are Iran backed
behind these attacks say that they are attacking U.S.
military installations because of the USS support for Israel.
So that's where all of this comes.
And last night over Christmas,
earlier in the day rather there was an attack by
an Iran backed group
Khatib Hezbollah on AUS military installation in northern Iraq.
It injured 3 service members including injuring 1 critically.
It was an attack by a self detonating drone.
After that attack the White House says the president was
immediately briefed.
He asked for options on how to respond,
and later in the day he authorized 3 airstrikes that
killed the Pentagon,
says likely a number of Khatib Hezbollah militants and also
destroyed 3 facilities that are key to the group's drone
operations.
The White House saying that they will continue to respond
like this if those attacks on U.S.
troops in the region continue.
All right, Jay O'Brien from the White House.
Jay, thanks so much.