EXCERPT:
HEGSETH: "So, Laura, I think we are a very long way from that. And part of this conversation would be robust discussions that I would have with the secretary of defense with the president, with the national security adviser, with the secretary of state, with our allies and partners. That’s a long conversation. But ultimately, what I know is, sitting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israelis, is they want to finish the job against Hamas. They want to finish the job against Hamas. They want to eradicate those responsible for what happened on October 7th. They want to clear that out. They want to get the hostages back. As their ally, we want to support them in doing so. You bring peace by eradicating terrorists who seek the destruction of Israel."