New House speaker affirms US support for Israel in call with Netanyahu

Mike Johnson, the newly elected Speaker of the House, spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.

"It was a privilege to speak this evening with my friend Netanyahu," Johnson wrote on X.

"The House of Representatives stands with Israel and I reaffirmed our strong support."

After three weeks without a speaker, the House voted on Wednesday to elect Congressman Johnson of Louisiana. As his first action, he called up a resolution supporting Israel,

"The first bill I'm going to bring to this floor in a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel and we are overdue in getting that done," Johnson said.

The House approved the resolution with a vote of 412 to 10. The resolution, though non-binding, reinforces the US's allegiance to Israel and demands that Hamas halt its attacks and release all hostages.