US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently had a conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about Israel’s operations in Lebanon and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. After a letter from Washington urging Israel to improve the situation in Gaza, Austin encouraged Israel to address the dire humanitarian situation and noted the recent increase in humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin sent a letter to Israeli officials demanding concrete actions to improve the worsening situation in Gaza or potentially face restrictions on US military aid. However, the Pentagon statement after the Wednesday call did not mention the letter.