Assistant to the US President and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday morning is holding a press conference in Tel Aviv.

Sullivan said, "Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas."

"I'm here to emphasize on President Biden's behalf that we are here to support Israel."

Sullivan also emphasized that the US continues to work towards "a two -state solution where Israel's security is guaranteed."

Answering a question from a reporter Sullivan said, "When Israel launched this campaign to root out the terrorist threat...it made clear that the war would proceed in phases."

"We're not here to tell anybody, 'You must do x you must do y,'" he said, emphasizing that the US is "here to support our partners."

When asked what might happen if Israel requires two more months, or six more months, to complete the high-intensity stage of the war, Sullivan said, "This fight against Hamas deeply entrenched terrorist group in Gaza is going to take time, and it's going to happen in phases. There's no contradiction."

"Laying out Israel's war plan for the public is only going to help Hamas," he said, stressing that he would not go into details.

"We will work together in partnership, in coordination, and we will continue to supply our ideas," he said, adding that distinguishing between innocents and Hamas terrorists is both a moral and strategic concern, and that his Israeli counterparts understand this.

"The Israeli government has indicated that it does not have a long-term plan to control Gaza. ... We do not believe it is right for Israel to occupy Gaza over the long term."

Regarding the hostages held in Gaza, Sullivan said that he himself is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but that the matter was one not just of the hostages themselves but also of their worried families who are waiting for their safe return.

"We are going to do everything in our power working with our Israeli counterparts to return all the hostages to safety," he said.

"It is a paramount priority for the United States" to bring the hostages home, he emphasized.

The Israelis living on the northern border, he added, must know that "they will not be subject to an attack."

Asked about Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Sullivan said that the PA needs to be "revamped and revitalized," so that it can deliver a two state solution "in which Israelis and Palestinians live side-by-side in peace and security."

"What I think has been missing...is the responsibility held by Hamas," who are still holding over 100 hostages and who use Gazans as human shields.

One reporter questioned why the US is not responding more forcefully to the Houthis and Iran, Sullivan said, "This is not about the United States and Israel, this is about the entire international community... While the Houthis are pulling the trigger, so to speak, they're being handed the gun by Iran. Iran has a responsibility to cease these attacks," which are a threat to international security.

"That response should not be just the United States," but many "countries working in concert."