U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concerns on Saturday, urging Israel to reduce its airstrikes in and around Beirut, citing the high number of civilian casualties. His comments followed Israeli strikes on southern Beirut suburbs, targeting Hezbollah arms facilities. Thick smoke was seen over the city, and tens of thousands of residents have fled the area since the strikes began.
“We’d like to see Israel scale back on some of the strikes it’s taking, especially in and around Beirut,” Austin said during a G7 defense meeting in Naples, adding that the aim should be to return civilians on both sides to their homes through negotiations.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated after the Israel-Hamas war began in Gaza, with Israel launching a ground assault in Lebanon three weeks ago to stabilize the border. Austin also addressed concerns about Israeli strikes on UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, stressing that such forces must not be targeted.
Amid the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Lebanon, Austin noted U.S. efforts to increase aid but confirmed a recent decline in humanitarian support to the region, urging action to reverse the trend.
