US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met today (Monday) with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevy and Prime Minister Avi Gil's Military Secretary.
Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Kirya // Credit: Omer Meron / GPO
At the meeting held at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown, Chief of Staff Secretary of Defense Kelly Magessman and Deputy US Ambassador to Israel Stephanie Hallett were present. Immediately afterwards, an extended meeting will be held together with all members of the cabinet to conduct the war.
Austin's visit to Israel will be the second in a short period, after visiting Israel a few days after the surprise attack on October 7. According to a report in the New York Times, the secretary of defense, who is coming to Israel, will demand a reduction in the intensity of the fighting. According to The New York Times, Austin will raise the issue in meetings with Netanyahu and Galant. The report also indicates that the Americans expect elite units to leave and enter from population centers in accordance with intelligence. Among other things, the goal will be the release of abductees and the assassination of senior Hamas figures.
According to another recent report on the American warzone website, during his visit to Israel, the US Secretary of Defense will announce Operation Prosperity Keeper. According to a US military source, this is an international effort to deal with the threats posed by the Houthi militia in Yemen.
The report comes amid daily attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait region, which have led the world's largest shipping companies to divert their ships from the Red Sea area. Because of this, the ships will have to circumnavigate the African continent on their way from the East to Europe and vice versa.
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