US defense secretary vows to continue military aid to Israel amid Hezbollah conflict
Israel says it has secured an $8.7 billion aid package from Washington, which continues to push for diplomacy over military operations
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that the US would continue to provide military aid to Israel, playing down the idea of “red lines,” even as he warned that an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would be devastating.
Israel rejected global calls for a ceasefire with Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah on Thursday, defying its biggest ally the US and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of a regional war.
Asked about “red lines” for US support to Israel, Austin told reporters that the United States would not change its commitment to help Israel protect itself. He echoed US calls for a ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
“We’ve been committed from the very beginning to help Israel, provide the things that are necessary for them to be able to protect their sovereign territory and that hasn’t changed and won’t change in the future,” Austin said after a meeting in London with his British and Australian counterparts.
Israel said on Thursday that it had secured an $8.7 billion aid package from the United States to support its ongoing military efforts and to maintain a military edge in the region.
Austin said that there was a risk of all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel but added that a diplomatic solution was still viable.
“We now face the risk of an all-out war. Another full-scale war [could] be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon,” Austin said.
“So let me be clear, Israel and Lebanon can choose a different path, despite the sharp escalation in recent days, a diplomatic solution is still viable,” he said.
He added that the quickest way for Israel to achieve its goal of returning citizens to their homes in northern Israel was through diplomacy.
Israel has made a priority of securing its northern border and enabling the return of some 70,000 residents displaced by near-daily exchanges of fire with Hezbollah, which began attacking after Hamas’s devastating October 7, 2023, onslaught, in solidarity with the Gaza terror group.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in the last week following two waves of explosions of the terror group’s members’ communication devices. Hezbollah blamed the attack on Israel, which has not taken responsibility for the explosions, but has since stepped up its strikes on Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon, including a series of the terror group’s leaders.
Lebanese officials say some 600 people in the country have been killed in Israeli airstrikes over the past few days, without differentiating between civilians and combatants. Lebanon’s foreign minister said the number of displaced Lebanese had soared to nearly 500,000 since Israel ramped up its military campaign.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 22 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
