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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant that Washington supports the "dismantling of Hezbollah's offensive infrastructure" along the Lebanese-Israeli border, following Israel's launch of a "limited and localized ground operation" in southern Lebanon.

On X (formerly Twitter), Austin also issued a stern warning to Tehran, threatening "severe consequences" should Iran launch a direct military attack on Israel.

In a statement shared on social media after his phone conversation with Gallant, Austin stated, "We agreed on the necessity of dismantling the offensive infrastructure along the border to ensure that Hezbollah cannot carry out attacks similar to those of October 7 on northern Israeli towns."

Austin’s statement came shortly after Gallant confirmed that Israeli military activity in Lebanon is ongoing, despite a large-scale Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, which resulted in the assassination of Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, dealing a devastating blow to the militant organization.

In his statement, Austin reaffirmed the White House’s stance that "a diplomatic solution is needed" to ensure the safety of civilians "on both sides of the border."

The US defense secretary also warned Iran against launching a direct military strike on Israel, stating, "I reiterated the severe consequences for Iran should it choose to launch a direct military attack on Israel."

He added that the US is capable of defending its citizens, interests, "partners and allies against threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations," and is determined to prevent any party from exploiting the tensions or expanding the conflict.

The phone call came shortly after the Israeli military announced on Tuesday morning that it had launched a "limited, localized, and targeted ground operation" in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets, despite international calls for de-escalation.

AFP