Israel must wrap up its military operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon and allow for diplomacy to remove the terror group from its border, US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin told Defense Minister Yoav Gallant when the two spoke on Saturday night.
Austin “reinforced the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a readout regarding the call.
It was the second conversation between the two men in the last few days.
They also spoke late Thursday after Israel’s security cabinet met, with Austin emphasizing that same message.
The United States has supported Israel’s right to self-defense and its targeted attacks against Hezbollah but has urged it to return to diplomacy. The United States and France last month placed a 21-day ceasefire proposal on the table, which Hezbollah has only recently given a nod to.
Mossad Chief David Barnea has said that any such diplomatic resolution must also include a hostage deal, out of the belief that Hezbollah is in a position to pressure Hamas to release the 101 remaining captives in Gaza.
Austin reaffirmed to Gallant the “United States’ unwavering, enduring, and ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” Ryder said.
“He acknowledged Yom Kippur and the need to bring back all hostages to their families as soon as possible,” he added.
Concern over IDF fire at UN peacekeepers
Among the issues he also raised was his concern over a number of incidents along the Israeli-Lebanese border in which the IDF fired on the United Nations peacekeepers mission — known as the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) — during its operations against Hezbollah.
Austin “expressed his deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon as well as by the reported death of two Lebanese soldiers,” Ryder said.
“The Secretary strongly emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces,” he added.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
