From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 16, 2024
US urges Israel to ‘give hostage talks time to succeed’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during their phone call yesterday that “Israel should give [hostage] negotiations time to succeed,” according to a Pentagon readout.
Austin noted “the devastating consequences that escalation would have on the people of Israel, Lebanon, and the broader region,” the US readout adds.
The pair spoke following the Iran-backed Houthi ballistic missile attack against Israel hours earlier along with the barrage of rocket attacks into northern Israel by the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah earlier over the weekend.
Austin “reinforced the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and its right to self-defense,” the US readout says.
The Times of Israel Community.