Austin in 'Tel Aviv': talks Gaza, Red Sea, Hezbollah, Iran, settlers

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
18 Dec 2023 21:12
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The Pentagon official reiterated the "unshakable" US support for "Israel" and urged for a focus on de-escalation to prevent further tensions in the region.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin makes a joint statement with Israel Security Minister Yoav Gallant, after their meeting about "Israel's" military aggression on Gaza, in "Tel Aviv", occupied Palestine, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023 (AP Photo)

During a press conference with Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that a virtual ministerial meeting would be convened to discuss the recent attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by the Yemeni resistance.

The meeting is scheduled for December 19, with Austin expressing concern over the dangerous nature of the attacks, describing them as a violation of international law.

"I’m convening a meeting tomorrow… to address this threat," Austin said. "I look forward to working together with members of that group to address the threat in a meaningful way in the future."

On Sunday, the War Zone website reported that Austin is set to unveil an international initiative called Prosperity Guardian during his trip to the Middle East. The purpose of this program is to safeguard ships in the Red Sea from potential operations carried out by the Yemeni resistance following recent attacks on vessels from the US and UK.

The resistance in Yemen has been in recent weeks conducting a series of operations targeting US, Israeli, and British ships in the Red Sea due to their complicity in the Gaza genocide.

They have stated multiple times that they will continue to block the passage of ships connected to Israeli companies or destined for "Israel" in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea until the cessation of the Israeli-led genocide in Gaza.

Austin urges Hezbollah to not expand conflict

During the conference, Austin stated that the US is not seeking an expansion of the war and he called on the resistance in Lebanon to refrain from actions that could provoke a wider conflict.

"On Lebanon: we’ve been clear that we don’t want to see this conflict widen into a larger war or a regional war, and we call upon Hezbollah to make sure that they don’t do things that would provoke a wider conflict," Austin said.

He reiterated the "unshakable" US support for "Israel" and urged for a focus on de-escalation to prevent further tensions in the region.

"I'm here with a clear message. American support for Israel security is unshakable," Austin said.

'Surgical' aggressions on Gaza

The Pentagon official revealed that recent discussions with Israeli officials included scaling back military aggressions in Gaza and transitioning to more 'surgical' actions.

He emphasized sharing insights based on the US's alleged experience in fighting so-called terrorist groups.

"We can offer some insight based upon our own experience in fighting terrorist groups and certainly that enabled us to have great discussions," he said, adding that "we also have some great thoughts about how to transition from high-intensity operations to lower intensity and more surgical operations, so we had great news on those issues."

The talks also covered the status, goals, and objectives of the Israeli aggression, strategies to minimize harm to civilians, and the importance of ensuring a sustained flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the official said.

Points finger to Iran

Elsewhere in his statements, Austin emphasized the alleged US' opposition to war with Iran and urged the country to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, citing concerns over Iran's alleged support for resistance groups and operations on US occupation forces in both Iraq and Syria.

"As we are driving to stabilize a region, Iran is raising tensions by continuing to support terrorist groups, and malicious attacks by these Iranian proxies threaten the region citizens and risk of broader conflict. Of course, the US does not seek war, and we urgently call on Iran to take steps to de-escalate," Austin said.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has previously rejected claims that Iran played a role in recent attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria. He asserted that Tehran does not command any group and that Iran does not have any proxies in the region.

“They don’t take orders from Iran. They act based on their interests, as the operation that Hamas carried out was a fully Palestinian decision. They shouldered responsibility, took a decision, and took action,” the Iranian diplomat said in October.

Addressing settler violence

On another note, Austin brought to attention the necessity to stabilize the situation in the occupied West Bank. Austin condemned attacks by extreme settlers against Palestinians and called for an end to the violence and accountability for those involved.

"I also discussed the need to take urgent action to stabilize the West Bank. Attacks by extreme settlers against the Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and those committing the violence must be held accountable," Austin said.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration has conveyed to "Israel" that it will enforce visa bans on Israeli extremist settlers involved in violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank.