Lloyd Austin reiterates that US will defend Israel in case of retaliation for Haniyeh's death

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin assured Wednesday that his administration will defend Israel in case of retaliation for the elimination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Austin's remarks come at the same time that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech to the nation in which he assured that Israel is "ready for every scenario."

The elimination of several important enemies of the Jewish state puts the possibility of a massive attack against Israel by Hezbollah and Iran back on the table. In April 2024, after Israel allegedly eliminated General Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps., the largest combined drone bombing in history took place against Israeli territory. 

In the event of another such attack, Lloyd Austin assured that the priority is to de-escalate regional tensions between Israel and its neighbors, but that he will maintain his firm commitment to Israel's defense.  "We certainly will help defend Israel. You saw us do that April. You can expect to see us do that again," Austin said. He made reference to the help the United States, leading the international coalition, gave Israel in intercepting 99% of the massive attack carried out by Iran. 

"We don't want to see any of that happen," Austin added during a press conference from the Philippines. "We're going to work hard to make sure that we're doing things to help take the temperature down and address issues through diplomatic gatherings."

Blinken again calls for an 'imperative' ceasefire.

On the other hand, Secretary of State Antony Blinken again stated Wednesday that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is necessary, even after the death of Ismail Haniyeh.  "I've seen the reports. Nothing is more important than getting a cease-fire. To get things on a better track. We've been working since day one to keep [this war] from spreading," Blinken said from Singapore.