Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on Monday said the United States will provide more arms and munitions to Israel, as he warned Iran to "stop" supporting Huthi rebels who were attacking vessels in the Red Sea.
"We'll continue to provide Israel with the equipment that you need to defend your country... including critical munitions, tactical vehicles and air defence systems," the US Defense Secretary said, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office.
"In the Red Sea, we're leading a multinational maritime taskforce to uphold the bedrock principle of freedom of navigation. Iran's support for Huthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop," Austin said.
Israel visit 'not to dictate timelines or terms' on Gaza war: Pentagon chief
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Monday that the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was an Israeli operation and his visit to Israel was not aimed at setting a timeline for the conflict.
"This is Israel's operation and I'm not here to dictate timelines or terms," the US Defense Secretary said at a press conference with his Israeli counterpart.
Pentagon chief calls on Hezbollah to avoid provoking wider conflict
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin Monday called on the Iran-backed movement Hezbollah to avoid provoking a wider conflict amid near-daily skirmishes along the Israel-Lebanon border since Israel's war with Hamas.
"We call upon Hezbollah to make sure that they don't do things that would provoke a wider conflict," the US Defense Secretary said at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart.
Pentagon chief calls for more aid for Gaza's displaced
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin called for more aid for people displaced in the besieged Gaza Strip during a visit to Israel on Monday.
"We must get more humanitarian assistance in to the nearly two million displaced people in Gaza and we must distribute that aid better," the US Defense Secretary said, according to a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office.