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Israel defense minister: We must coordinate moves with Trump

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman confirmed that he still supports a two-state solution, but one involving population as well as land swaps and as one part of a regional agreement.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (C) walks with Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (R) at the prime minister's office at Auberge de Castille in Valletta June 24, 2010.  
REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi (MALTA - Tags: POLITICS) MALTA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MALTA - RTR2FNQR
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman (C) walks with Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (R) at the prime minister's office in Valletta, Malta, June 24, 2010. — REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

A mysterious aircraft eliminated a terrorist squad that included five Islamic State (IS) fighters just as they prepared to fire rockets from the Sinai Peninsula at Israel's southernmost city, Eilat, Feb. 19. The Sinai affiliate of IS later issued a statement placing responsibility for the action against the squad squarely on Israel.

While Israel has a long-established policy of ignoring questions about such incidents, in this case Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman announced, “Like always, the special forces of Lichtenstein probably took out a few terrorists from Daesh [IS] in Sinai. … We do not let anything go without a response. I don’t think that the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula poses a serious threat.”

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