US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant (Al Jazeera + agencies)
In a call with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin discussed Israel's shift to less severe military operations in Gaza, in addition to supporting efforts for a diplomatic solution along the border with Lebanon and stability in the West Bank.
A statement from the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) - Thursday evening - explained that Secretary Austin discussed in a phone call with Gallant Israel's shift toward low-intensity operations in Gaza. The two sides also discussed supporting a diplomatic solution on the Israeli-Lebanese border and stability in the West Bank.
Austin stressed the importance of ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, “thanking Gallant for his efforts to achieve this common goal,” according to the statement.
Since last October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, leaving 27,19 martyrs and 66,139 injured, most of them children and women, and causing massive destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, according to the United Nations.
In another context, the two ministers discussed regional threats against American forces, and Gallant offered his condolences to Austin over the killing of 3 American soldiers in a drone attack on a base in Jordan.
On Wednesday, the US administration accused the Islamic Resistance in Iraq of carrying out an attack on a military base on the Syrian-Jordanian border, in which 3 American soldiers were killed.
US President Joe Biden is expected to participate with his wife, Jill, today, Friday, in a ceremony to receive the bodies of the three soldiers at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Source: Agencies