Defense Secretary Austin Reaffirms US Support for Israel Amid Iran and Hezbollah Threats

Washington DC, September 19 :
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III called with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Wednesday to evaluate regional security developments amidst the communication device explosions in Lebanon.

"Unwavering US support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iran's other regional partners." Austin underlined this throughout his talk with Gallant.

According to a Pentagon press statement, Austin reiterated the goal of reaching a ceasefire accord in Gaza that will allow Hamas to return detainees and emphasized the US's efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.

The Secretary reaffirmed the United States' resolve to reduce tensions in the area and discourage regional aggressors. The Pentagon said that the Secretary's top priorities were reaching a ceasefire in Gaza that will allow Hamas to return prisoners and finding a lasting diplomatic solution to the crisis on the Israel-Lebanon border that will enable citizens from both sides to go home.

Particularly tragic were the coordinated assaults on communication devices that occurred across Lebanon. Authorities have reported that twenty people were killed and more than four hundred and fifty injured in the most recent attacks, as reported by Al Jazeera.

The most recent incident occurred in Lebanon only one day after a coordinated explosion of pagers injured over 2800 people and killed 12.

The battle has entered a "new phase" according to Gallant, who has also stated that the northern arena is the new center of attention.

“We are at the start of a new phase in the war - we are allocating resources and forces to the northern arena and our mission is clear: ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” Gallant shared on X. A change in the security environment is necessary to do this. The pager blasts on Tuesday were blamed by Hezbollah on Israel, and retaliation was promised. Pagers should be discarded, according to Lebanese officials.