Visiting Israel, US defense chief says he won’t ‘dictate timelines or terms’ of war

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Tel Aviv on Monday, meeting with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He reiterated US backing for Israel’s war against Hamas, while calling to increase humanitarian aid entering the Strip, though he declined to set any timeline on the ongoing Israeli operation.In public comments, Austin stopped short of making any suggestions about wrapping up the war, and offered little criticism of the Gaza death toll, saying the US will continue to support Israel’s war on Hamas and send it munitions and other defense aid. But he used a press conference to push for movement toward a two-state solution — something the current Israeli government has rejected — and also issued a warning to Israel about growing violence in the West Bank.

During their meeting in Tel Aviv, Austin told Netanyahu that the US “commitment to Israel is unshakeable,” noting that it was his fourth visit to the country as secretary of defense and second since October 7. “America’s commitment to Israel is unwavering and no individual group or state should test our resolve.”

The defense chief, who was accompanied by new US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown, said that when it comes to the threat of attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis, the US is “leading a multinational maritime task force to uphold the bedrock principle of freedom of navigation. Iran’s support for Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop.”

And in a later press conference alongside Gallant, Austin said the Houthi attacks are “reckless, dangerous, and they violate international law,” and said he would be hosting a virtual meeting on Monday with ministers “to address this threat… in a meaningful way.” He also called on Hezbollah in Lebanon “to make sure that they don’t do things that would provoke a wider conflict.” READ MORE