Pentagon chief tells Israel that US is 'well-postured' against Iran

By Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart late on Tuesday, hours after Iran's missile attack on Israel following Israel's military campaign in Lebanon, and said Washington was "well-postured" to defend its interests in the Middle East.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Earlier in the day, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel's military campaign in Lebanon that has killed hundreds and displaced over a million people.

Iran later said its missile attack on Israel was over, barring further provocation. No injuries were reported in Israel and Washington called Iran's attack ineffective.

WHAT'S NEXT

Israel and the U.S. have promised to retaliate against Tehran as fears of a wider war intensify.

KEY QUOTES

"The Secretary (Austin) reaffirmed that the United States remains well postured to defend U.S. personnel, allies, and partners in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations," the Pentagon said in a statement after Austin's call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

"The minister and I expressed mutual appreciation for the coordinated defense of Israel against nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran and committed to remain in close contact," Austin said separately in a post on X.

CONTEXT

Israel has escalated its military campaign in Lebanon in recent days, launching operations that the Israeli military says are targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.

Israel is also waging a war in Gaza, which followed a deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas militants. Israeli's military assault on Hamas-governed Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced nearly everyone there, caused a hunger crisis in the enclave.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Miral Fahmy)