Jerusalem, Jan 18 (AP) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel is treating the ceasefire with Hamas as temporary and retains the right to continue fighting if necessary.

Speaking to the nation just 12 hours before the ceasefire is to start, he claimed that he had the support of President-elect Donald Trump, who he said he spoke with on Wednesday.

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Netanyahu also touted Israel's military successes in Lebanon and Syria as the reason Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. “We have changed the face of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu stressed that he was able to negotiate the best deal possible even as Israel's far-right Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Saturday he and most of his party would resign from the government in opposition. (AP)

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)