Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant held a telephone conversation with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss efforts to free the hostages and restore security in the north of the country.
This was reported by the Telegram channel “Israeli Workdays”.
During the conversation, Gallant expressed concern that opportunities for a peaceful resolution on the northern border are diminishing as Hezbollah continues to strengthen ties with Hamas.
He noted that Israel is forced to take measures to eliminate Hezbollah’s influence in southern Lebanon in order to ensure the safe return of residents of the northern regions to their homes.
Recall that the Pentagon spoke about Austin’s new demand for Galant.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed grave concern to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant over the death of US citizen Aisenur Eiga near Nablus. The Pentagon statement stressed that Austin asked Galant to review the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) rules of engagement during operations in Judea and Samaria.
The incident, which occurred during last week’s demonstration, was acknowledged by Israel, confirming the high probability that IDF troops accidentally shot Eigi. According to the IDF statement, the fire that hit the American citizen was not aimed at her, but at one of the main participants in the riots in the village of Beita, where protesters threw stones at Israeli soldiers.
U.S. Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken also called for fundamental changes to the IDF, including a review of the rules of engagement. In one of his harshest statements yet on Israeli forces in the West Bank, Blinken said there have long been reports of violence by extremist settlers to which security forces have turned a blind eye, as well as excessive use of force against Palestinians.
Cursor previously reported that Galant and Austin discussed releasing the hostages and eliminating Hamas’s top leader.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed with his U.S. counterpart the IDF operation to recover the bodies of six hostages brutally murdered by Hamas militants.
