unsaveSave
expand-left
full screen Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US counterpart Lloyd Austin during a meeting in June. Photo: Susan Walsh/AP/TT
US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Monday and reiterated US support for Israel, Haaretz newspaper reports. According to the paper, Austin and Gallant discussed the deployment of US forces in the face of a suspected Iranian attack on Israel.
The already tense situation in the Middle East has escalated further after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya was killed last week in an attack in Iran where he was visiting.
Hezbollah chief of staff Fuad Shukr was also killed in an Israeli strike last week, prompting Iran and the Iran-backed Shiite militia Hezbollah to vow retaliation.
Later in the day, US President Joe Biden will convene his security team to discuss “developments in the Middle East”, The Guardian reports.