Netanyahu vows to fight possible U.S. sanctions on Israeli army units

. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would fight against sanctions being imposed on any Israeli military units for alleged rights violations, after media reports said Washington was planning such a step, Reuters reports.

Earlier three U.S. sources with knowledge of the issue told Axios that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to within days announce sanctions against the Israel Defense Forces "Netzah Yehuda" battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. 

"If anyone thinks they can impose sanctions on a unit of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) - I will fight it with all my strength," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said in a statement on Sunday that he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and asked him to reconsider the matter. The U.S. statements about the conversation did not mention sanctions.

It would be the first time the U.S., Israel’s main ally, imposed sanctions on an Israeli military unit. The sanctions will ban the battalion and its members from receiving any kind of U.S. military assistance or training, the sources told Axios. According to the news site, a U.S. official said Blinken's determination about the Netzah Yehuda unit is based on incidents that occurred before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and all took place in the West Bank.

Related Articles Al Jazeera: Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip kill 48 people My team will fight for creation of a 'strong region': Masud Pezeshkian Switzerland expands sanctions against Russia Smoke rises over border as Lebanon's Hezbollah says it launched rockets at Israeli military sites Chief of Armenian Armed Forces General Staff meets with France's Chief of Army Staff Armenia Armed Forces General Staff chief, France army head discuss development of collaboration Benny Gantz resigned from Netanyahu's military cabinet Netanyahu asks Gantz not to resign from Israel’s War Cabinet Israel's Netanyahu to address U.S. Congress on July 24 14th package of EU sanctions against Russia may be adopted in mid-June: O’Sullivan