Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Thursday, May 19, 2022
Meeting Pentagon chief, Gantz urges US-led regional coalition to counter Iran

Defense Minister Benny Gantz meets with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on May 19, 2022. (Shmulik Almany/GPO)
Defense Minister Benny Gantz meets with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon for talks his office says focused primarily on Iran.
According to a statement from Gantz’s office, the two discussed “the Iranian regional threat,” with Gantz urging a US-led coalition of regional states to counter Iran.
“Iranian agression must be countered in numerous ways, including strengthening the regional coalition led by the US,” Gantz is quoted as saying.
The statement says Gantz and Austin also discussed “the tense security situation in Israel and the operations Israel is carrying out against terror organizations.”