US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meets with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon on June 25, 2024
Andrew Harnik
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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon on Tuesday and warned that a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could trigger a regional war and urged a diplomatic solution.
The war in the Gaza Strip, which has been going on for more than eight months, has increased tensions throughout the region. There are almost daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah.
“Another war between Israel and Hezbollah could easily escalate into a regional war, with devastating consequences for the Middle East,” Austin said. “Diplomacy is by far the best way to prevent further escalation.”
Opening the meeting with Austin, Gallant said: “We are working closely together to reach an agreement, but we also need to discuss preparedness for every possible scenario.”
The Israeli army said last week that plans for an offensive in Lebanon were “approved and confirmed” amid escalating cross-border clashes, but Washington is trying to lower the temperature and prevent another major conflict in the Middle East.
Gallant is visiting Washington to reaffirm the value of relations with Israel’s most important ally after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly criticized the United States for alleged delays in arms deliveries.
The US government stresses that only one bomb shipment was stopped due to concerns about its use in populated areas, while other weapons shipments continued as usual.
The United States is Israel’s main arms supplier, but the rising death toll in the Gaza conflict is increasing pressure on President Joe Biden to take action and heightening tensions between his administration and Netanyahu.
Gallant had met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington the day before. The leading US diplomat called on Israel to avoid an escalation in Lebanon.
The Israeli minister also held talks with CIA chief Bill Burns, the main US point man in negotiations to release hostages from Hamas, which launched an unprecedented attack on Israel in October that sparked a devastating conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said Israeli forces were ending the most intense part of the Gaza war and would move their troops to the northern border, but described the move as a defensive measure.
The last full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah took place in 2006, when a cross-border attack by Hezbollah sparked 34 days of fighting that inflicted heavy casualties on Lebanon, especially in the south of the country.
