2024-09-16 06:07:39
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant held a telephone conversation with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss efforts to free hostages and restore security in the north of the country.
This was reported by the Telegram channel “Israeli Workdays”.
During the conversation, Galant expressed concern that the opportunities for a peaceful settlement on the northern border are shrinking as Hezbollah continues to strengthen ties with Hamas.
He noted that Israel is forced to take measures to eliminate Hezbollah’s influence in southern Lebanon in order to ensure the safe return of residents of the northern regions to their homes.
Let us recall that the Pentagon reported Austin’s new requirement for Galant.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed grave concern to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant over the death of American citizen Aysenur Eigi near Nablus. The Pentagon statement emphasized that Austin called on Galant to review the rules of engagement of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during operations in Judea and Samaria.
The incident, which took place during last week’s demonstration, was acknowledged by Israel, which confirmed the high probability that IDF troops most likely accidentally shot Eigi. According to the IDF statement, the shots that hit the American citizen were not aimed at her, but at one of the main participants in the riots in the village of Beita, where demonstrators were throwing stones at Israeli troops.
US Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken also called for fundamental changes to the IDF, including a review of the rules of engagement. In one of his strongest statements yet on Israeli actions in Judea and Samaria, Blinken noted that there have long been reports of violence by extremist settlers that security forces have turned a blind eye to, as well as excessive use of force against Palestinians.
Earlier, Cursor reported that Galant and Austin spoke about freeing the hostages and eliminating the Hamas leadership.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant discussed with his US counterpart the IDF operation to retrieve the bodies of six hostages brutally murdered by Hamas militants.