WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2021) US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley met with their Israeli counterpart Aviv Kochavi on Monday to discuss issues of mutual interest, including the security situation in the middle East region, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.
"The Chairman of the [US] Joint Chiefs General [Mark] Milley hosted today his counterpart in the Israeli Defense Forces, Chief of the Israeli General Staff Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi at the Pentagon. The two leaders discussed several issues of mutual concern including the current security environment throughout the Middle East," Kirby said during a press briefing. "Secretary [of Defense Lloyd] Austin did attend part of the meeting."
General Milley has reaffirmed the US commitment to its relationship with Israel as a key partner as regards peace and security in the region, Kirby also said.
Israel and Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, were locked in armed conflict for 11 days until a ceasefire was announced on May 20. The hostilities were preceded by days of clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court's decision to evict several Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
