U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (Twitter/Screenshot)
Israeli defense minister discusses scope of new ground war in Lebanon, as well as Israel’s goals after IDF ground forces enter southern Lebanon.
By World Israel News Staff
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant (Likud) spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin overnight, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced Tuesday morning.
The two spoke shortly after Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon, launching the IDF’s much-anticipated ground campaign against Hezbollah.
During their conversation, Gallant discussed the scope of the new ground operation and its goals, emphasizing the centrality of ensuring the safe return of Israel’s citizens to their homes in the north.
Gallant also briefed the Defense Secretary on the operational and strategic measures required to achieve this objective.
The Israeli Defense Minister and Austin agreed on the importance of dismantling the terrorist infrastructure along Israel’s northern border to prevent attacks by Hezbollah against Israeli citizens.
To this end, Gallant discussed the localized and targeted raids that the IDF launched overnight, against Hezbollah terror targets in the border area of southern Lebanon.
These ground operations, he said, build on the recent and ongoing measures taken to eliminate senior Hezbollah leadership and to degrade Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities, including Friday’s killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and the pager and radio bombings earlier this month which killed dozens of Hezbollah operatives and injured thousands more.
Minister Gallant and Secretary Austin also discussed ongoing threats posed by Iran and its proxies in the region, including Iranian proxies and militias in Iraq, Yemen and Syria.
They discussed the importance of U.S. force posture and the interoperability of U.S. and Israeli defensive capabilities.
Austin and Gallant also discussed ongoing military efforts in the southern arena.
The Israeli defense chief reiterated his determination to achieve a framework that will enable the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, and highlighted the critical timing and current window of opportunity to advance this issue.
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