US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke on Friday with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant following the IDF strike in Beirut, in which top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and other senior members of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force were eliminated.
A statement from the Pentagon said that, during the call, Austin “reiterated his concern over the current escalation of exchanges between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.”
“The Secretary strongly reemphasized the importance of reaching a diplomatic resolution that enables residents to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border,” said the statement.
Austin also “urged continued efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would bring home all hostages held by Hamas,” the statement added.
Finally, Secretary Austin “reaffirmed the United States' unwavering, enduring, and ironclad commitment to Israel's security.”
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Friday that Aqil along with the senior chain of command of the Radwan Force were hiding “underground, beneath a residential building in the heart of the Dahieh neighborhood, using civilians as human shields. They had gathered to coordinate terrorist activities against the citizens of Israel.”
“Aqil and the Radwan Force commanders we struck were the masterminds of and the force behind Hezbollah’s plan to execute an attack on Northern Israel on what they referred to as the ‘Plan to Conquer the Galilee.’ As part of this plan, Hezbollah intended to infiltrate Israel, seize control of the communities in the Galilee, and to kill and kidnap Israeli civilians, much like Hamas did on October 7th. Since October 8th, these commanders led attacks against Israel’s citizens and were planning further operations,” continued the IDF Spokesperson.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said following Friday’s elimination, “The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning their ‘October 7th’ on the northern border for years. We reached them, and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of Israel’s citizens.”
Gallant said earlier on Friday, “I have recently completed a situation assessment together with the IDF Chief of the General Staff and senior IDF officials on developments in the northern arena and the precise operation conducted to eliminate senior Hezbollah operatives.”
“We will continue pursuing our enemies in order to defend our citizens - even in the Dahieh in Beirut,” he added.
“The series of operations in the new phase of the war will continue until we achieve our goal: ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” stated Gallant.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
