US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, told his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Galant, that his country is well positioned to defend its allies against Iran. The US Department of Defense explained in a statement that: "Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant to discuss Israel's operations in Lebanon." The Minister pointed out that "the United States is well positioned to defend US personnel, partners, and allies against attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies." The two officials stressed "their commitment to preventing any party from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region." Austin affirmed "his strong support for Israel's right to defend itself and reiterated the United States' commitment to a diplomatic arrangement that safely returns Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border." He also stressed "the importance of ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces in the region and urged coordination of efforts to move from military oper ations to the diplomatic track as soon as possible." The statement added that the two ministers "discussed the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza," and Austin called on "taking urgent steps to address it." Following his call with Galant, Austin wrote in a tweet on his X page: "I call for ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces and coordination of efforts to move from military operations to the diplomatic track as soon as possible." Source: National Iraqi News Agency