Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper stated in an interview with "CBS Mornings" that Israel must "absolutely" complete its fight against Hamas and eradicate the Palestinian militant group. However, he emphasized that achieving this goal requires addressing the issue of Iran "once and for all."
"In order to ultimately defeat Hamas in military terms, you have to prevent their ability to rebuild their military forces," Esper explained on Thursday. "To accomplish that, it is necessary to deal with Iran definitively. We must cut off the supply of arms, money, and other forms of support. This is the larger issue that we are not confronting."
The U.S. government accuses Iran of providing the majority of funding, weapons, and training to Hamas, a group that Israel has vowed to "destroy."
"During periods of significant collaboration between Iran and Hamas, Iran's support to Hamas has been estimated to reach as high as $300 million USD per year. However, as a minimum, it is widely believed to be in the tens of millions per year," stated the U.S. Treasury in a 2019 assessment.
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Former defense secretary Mark Esper spoke on "CBS Mornings" about Israel's consideration of a proposal regarding the release of hostages taken by Hamas. According to CBS News, Hamas is willing to release some hostages in exchange for a three-to-five-day cease-fire in the ongoing war.
Esper expressed concerns about Hamas using the cease-fire to regroup and continue their attacks against Israel. He mentioned that Hamas wants to "trickle" hostages out over multiple days, giving them time to rearm and prepare for further violence.
Israel's foreign ministry has revised the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack to around 1,200, with more than 11,070 Palestinians, mostly women and children, killed since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Esper acknowledged that there is no simple solution to preventing civilian casualties in such conflicts.
Esper also commented on the face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The meeting made progress on two key objectives: resuming military-to-military communications and cracking down on fentanyl.
Esper described the meeting as a positive step, emphasizing the significance of the world's two biggest and most powerful countries coming together.
During a recent meeting, Esper expressed agreement with Mr. Biden's post-meeting statement that Xi is a dictator. However, Esper believes that this remark will not hinder the progress achieved by Mr. Biden and Xi on Wednesday.
"China currently needs us more than we need them," stated Esper. "Why? Because their economy is struggling, right? They require U.S. investment and rely on U.S. consumer sales... Moreover, their real estate sector is facing a crisis."
"China is facing significant challenges," he continued, "and Xi Jinping is understandably concerned."
