Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is continuing to coordinate closely with his Israeli counterpart in response to last week’s deadly attacks by Hamas terrorists, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said today.
Since meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and members of the Israeli War Cabinet in Tel Aviv on Friday, Austin has remained fully engaged with the country’s leaders as the U.S. works ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself from further attacks.
“Since leaving Israel, he has held calls with MOD Gallant … on a near daily basis and will likely have another call today,” Singh said. “We are working to meet Israel’s needs, which include air defense, precision guided munitions, artillery and medical supplies.”
In addition to quickly fielding U.S. aid to Israel, the U.S. has bolstered its presence in the region to deter further aggression.
The increases to U.S. force posture signal the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III
Over the weekend, Austin directed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to join the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group which arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean last week.
The Navy units are part of a broader bolstering of U.S. forces in the region. Last week, the Air Force announced the deployment of F-15 and F-16 fighter squadrons and A-10 attack squadrons to the region.
“The increases to U.S. force posture signal the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security and our resolve to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war,” Austin said in a statement over the weekend.
Singh noted that the U.S. is also providing planning and intelligence support to the Israeli-led hostage recovery efforts following last week’s attack.
That support includes a “small number of personnel in support of this effort as augmentation to the embassy staff,” Singh said.
“As the president stated, any presence of military personnel will be to advise and consult on hostage recovery efforts,” she said.
Singh said DOD remains focused on supporting Israel’s defenses, containing the conflict in Gaza, deterring other state or non-state actors from entering the battle space and protecting U.S. forces.
During his visit to Tel Aviv last week, Austin condemned the “bloodthirsty, fanatical and hateful” attacks by Hamas terrorists.
“The world has just witnessed a great evil: the deadliest attack on civilians in the history of the state of Israel and the bloodiest day in Jewish history since the end of the Holocaust,” Austin said after meeting with Israeli officials.
“So, make no mistake: The United States will make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself,” he said.
Austin said U.S. support to Israel remains “non-negotiable” and that additional security assistance would continue to “flow at the speed of war.”
“For any country, for any group or anyone thinking about trying to take advantage of this atrocity to try to widen the conflict or to spill more blood, we have just one word: Don’t,” Austin said.
“The world is watching,” he said. “So are we. And we aren’t going anywhere.”
