The US Department of Defense, the Pentagon, said in a statement on Monday that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed Israeli operations and opportunities for regional de-escalation with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Galant, in a phone call on Monday.

Austin, according to the statement, stressed the United States' commitment to diplomatic arrangements in Lebanon that allow Lebanese and Israeli civilians to safely return to their homes on both sides of the border, as well as the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza.

He stressed the United States' continued strong commitment to defending Israel, and noted that U.S. forces are well positioned to defend U.S. citizens, allies, and partners against attacks from Iran and its proxies.

The call comes at a time when Israel is intensifying its raids on southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, where at least 43,000 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health in the Strip, while the death toll in Lebanon has exceeded 2,750, and more than 12,600 others have been injured, according to official Lebanese data.

It is noteworthy that out of 251 people who were detained and taken to Gaza in the attack of October 7, 2023, 97 are still being held in Gaza, including 34 who the army says have died.

Austin's call with his Israeli counterpart came at a time when relations between him (Galant) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are witnessing new tensions over disagreements over the management of the war, according to Hebrew and international media. The Israeli Defense Minister considered in a letter to a number of political and security officials, including the prime ministers, the chiefs of staff, the Mossad, and the Shin Bet, that "the war is being managed without a compass," and that it is necessary to update its objectives.

The letter, excerpts of which were published by Haaretz, stated that “the current situation in which we are acting without a clear compass and without updating the war’s objectives, harms the management of the battle and the cabinet’s decisions. The major developments in the war, especially the exchange of direct strikes between Israel and Iran, increase the need to hold a discussion and update the war’s objectives with a comprehensive view of the various arenas and the interconnectedness between them.”