A phone call between the US and Israeli defense ministers revealed the details of the agreement reached regarding the Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon.

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In the past hours, the Israeli army has launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon, which it described as “limited, local, and targeted,” without providing further details on its duration or precise nature.

Details of the Agreement 

In this context, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed to his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, that “Washington supports the dismantling of Hezbollah‘s offensive infrastructure” along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

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The US secretary also issued a stern warning to Tehran via the platform X, threatening “severe consequences” if it launched a direct military attack on Israel.
He added: “We have agreed on the necessity to dismantle the offensive infrastructure to ensure that Hezbollah cannot carry out attacks similar to those on October 7 on northern Israeli towns.”

Austin’s statement came shortly after Gallant confirmed that Israeli military activity in Lebanon was not yet over, despite the massive airstrike carried out by Israel on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, which killed Hezbollah‘s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in a devastating blow to the armed group.

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Diplomatic Solution 

The US Defense Secretary emphasized the White House’s stance that a “diplomatic solution is required” to ensure the safety of civilians “on both sides of the border,” warning against a direct military strike on Israel.

He said: “I reaffirmed the severe consequences for Iran if it chooses to launch a direct military attack against Israel.”

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He added that the United States is capable of defending its citizens, interests, and “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.”