Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Oct. 13 to express his condolences for the IDF soldiers killed in a drone attack from Lebanese Hizballah today. Secretary Austin reaffirmed the deep U.S. commitment to Israel's security, demonstrated today by the announcement of the deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel in the coming days.
The Secretary also reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces, and the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway to provide security for civilians on both sides of the border as soon as feasible. Secretary Austin again raised concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it.
