US defence secretary Lloyd Austin in Israel to see America's security assistance
FirstpostAustin is the second high-level US official sent by President Joe Biden to visit Israel in two days US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Israel on Friday for meetings with senior government leaders and to see first-hand some of the US weapons and security assistance that Washington rapidly delivered to Israel in the first week of its war with the militant Hamas group. Speaking in front of reporters before he met with the prime minister, Austin told Netanyahu, “As the president said, we have your back.” He added, “We do stand with you, Mr. Prime Minister.” Also Friday, the Israeli military directed hundreds of thousands of residents in Gaza City to evacuate “for their own safety and protection,” ahead of a feared Israeli ground offensive. Blinken discussed Hamas’ 7 October attack with the king and efforts to release all hostages the militants seized, as well as efforts to “prevent the conflict from widening,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. The US top diplomat “underscored that Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination and discussed ways to address the humanitarian needs of civilians in Gaza while Israel conducts legitimate security operations to defend itself from terrorism,” Miller said.