Austin Pledges the US Will Defend Israel If It Faces Attack After Latest Escalations
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that the US would defend Israel if it faces attacks in response to its airstrike in Beirut that targeted a Hezbollah commander and the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas’s political bureau who was killed in Tehran.
Israel has not formally taken credit for killing Haniyeh, but Israeli intelligence has a long history of carrying out covert attacks inside Iran, including assassinations. Both Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killing and are vowing revenge.
“Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge,” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote on X.
