US defense chief urges Israel to ensure safety of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday he spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Thursday to discuss Israel's operations in Lebanon.

"I urged ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces and coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible," Austin said on X.

The phone call came after the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Thursday that its headquarters in the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura and two nearby sites had been struck by Israeli forces. Two peacekeepers were injured.

Austin said he reaffirmed "ironclad support" for Israel's right to defend itself and reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic arrangement that safely returns both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border.

"I made clear that the United States is well postured to defend U.S. personnel, partners, and allies against attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies," he said.

During the phone call, Austin said they reiterated commitment to preventing any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region.

"We also discussed urgent steps to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza," he added.

Israel has been mounting massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23 that have killed more than 1,323 people and injured nearly 3,700.

The aerial campaign is an escalation of the year-long cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 42,000 people, most of them women and children, since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.