Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin had a conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, the American department reports.
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“Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin today spoke with Israeli Secretary of Defense Israel Katz to review regional threats, discuss Israel’s current operations, and reaffirm the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” the Department of Defense said in a statement on its website.
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Austin also reaffirmed the US commitment to a diplomatic solution to the situation in Lebanon and called on the Israeli government to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
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The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The court also rejected arguments by Israel, which sought to challenge the court’s jurisdiction to issue warrants against its citizens. Israel also challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction to hear cases related to the situation in Palestine as a whole. US President Joe Biden called the ICC decision outrageous.
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Since October 1, Israel has been conducting a ground operation against the forces of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon and continues aerial bombing of the neighboring country, where more than 2.5 thousand people have already died, including leaders of the Shiite movement, and more than a million people have become refugees. Despite losses, including in command personnel, Hezbollah is conducting ground battles and does not stop rocket attacks on Israeli territory.
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On October 7, 2023, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. After this, Hamas militants infiltrated the border areas, opened fire on military and civilians, and took more than 200 hostages. According to the authorities, about 1.2 thousand people died on the Israeli side.
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In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords, which included attacks on civilian targets, and announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: supplies of water, electricity, fuel, food and medicine were stopped. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, since the beginning of the conflict, more than 43.5 thousand Palestinians have been killed and over 102 thousand injured.
