The Israeli military has conducted missile strikes against Iran, a snr #UnitedStates#military ofcl told NPR Thurs. There are also reports of explosions in #Iraq & #Syria.
Iran's Fars News Agency says explosions were heard in the central city of #Isfahan, according to the Reuters News Agency.
The extent of Israel's strikes & the weapons used weren't clear.
They also spoke about the importance of increasing & sustaining the flow of #humanitarian#aid to #civilians in #Gaza, including via the new route from Ashdod Port in #Israel.
A snr US ofcl on Thurs night declined to say whether #Gallant gave #Austin any advance warning of an impending strike.
During #Biden’s speech on #healthcare yesterday he was interrupted by protesters advocating for #Palestinians in #Gaza. Instead of ignoring them & moving on, #POTUS responded, “They have a point; we need to get more care into Gaza.” He added, “Everybody deserves healthcare.”
The meeting came amid growing friction between the 2 #MNNA after the passage of a #UN resolution calling for an immediate #CeaseFire & Israel’s PM, #Netanyahu, cancelled a separate delegation to DC.
Remarks by #Gallant & #LloydAustin before the meeting underscored the divide. While both noted their countries’ commitment to #Israel’s #security, Gallant emphasized what he said was the urgent need to destroy #Hamas, secure the release of Israeli #hostages & “ensure Israel’s military edge & capabilities.”
#LloydAustin focused on the dire consequences the #war has had for #Palestinian#civilians. “The number of civilian casualties is far too high, & the amount of #HumanitarianAid is far too low,” he said. The safety of #Palestinians in #Rafah, where >1 million people are holed up, was a “top priority,” he added.
An unclassified summary of the review did not identify any failures by of #DefSec#LloydAustin or his aides as they oversaw the transfer of top-level authority from Austin to his deputy several times while he was undergoing medical treatment in Dec & Jan. But the probe, which was conducted by a snr #Pentagon ofcl, said that Austin’s staff was constrained by #medical#privacy#laws & their own concern about their boss’s privacy.
“Although, as hindsight has shown, the process for making decisions to transfer the Secretary’s authority could & should be improved … nothing examined during this review demonstrated any indication of ill #intent or an attempt to obfuscate,” the report added. #NationalSecurity#UnitedStates#military#Pentagon#DefSec#LloydAustin