Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant had a call with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin this Wednesday afternoon. The latter is on a visit to the Philippines.
The US Department of Defense said that the two defense chiefs discussed the talk about Israel's response to the Lebanese Hizballah attack last July 27 that killed 12 civilians, mostly children.
They discussed threats from a variety of Iranian-backed terrorist groups, notably Hizballah. Secretary Austin reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to Israel's security and its right to self-defense."
She added that they also discussed ongoing efforts for a diplomatic solution that would ensure the safe return of residents on both the Israeli and Lebanese sides of the border.
The Israel Defense Forces earlier said it had killed a high-ranking Hezbollah military commander, Fouad Shukur, in a pinpoint drone strike in Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut. He was described as the planner of the missile attack through which 12 children were murdered in Majdal Shams, a town in the Golan Heights.
Moreover, Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Hamas Political Office, was attacked and killed at his residence in Tehran Wednesday morning. He had visited the Iranian capital to take part in the swearing ceremony of newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian.
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