Call between US, Israeli defense chiefs expected in near future: Pentagon

WASHINGTON -- A call between US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant will take place "in the near future," a spokesperson for the Pentagon said Thursday, as Israel appeared to be finalizing its plan to retaliate against Iran for its Oct 1 missile attack.

"I'm sure there will be one again in the near future," Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder said when previewing a call between Austin and Gallant for reporters during a press briefing, adding that a readout of the call will be provided after it concludes.

Expectation for a one-on-one discussion between the two defense chiefs came as Israel's Security Cabinet met late Thursday evening local time to discuss how the country would respond to the ballistic missile attack launched by Iran on Oct 1, according to a report by Bloomberg News citing Israeli broadcaster Kan.

A final decision on what could be an imminent retaliatory strike against Iran will be made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Gallant, the report said.

Ryder said the United States will continue to "seek conditions to enable a cease-fire in Gaza and a reduction of tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border." Israel has been carrying out a ground operation in Lebanon against Hezbollah, which it accuses of acting as Iran's proxy against Israel.

Washington's broader goal remains to be preventing the current tensions from escalating into "a wider regional conflict" and finding "a diplomatic resolution of the tensions," Ryder said.

Gallant, who Ryder said maintains "a close working relationship" with Austin, canceled a planned trip to Washington this week at the direction of Netanyahu, who wanted the trip to be made after his call with US President Joe Biden, which took place Wednesday.

The White House's readout of the Biden-Netanyahu call made no mention of specifics surrounding Israel's retaliation against Iran, prompting speculation of a widening rift between the two leaders.

Ryder at the briefing refused to disclose whether there is a commitment from the Israeli side that it will give the United States a "heads-up" of its upcoming action against Iran, other than to say that the two countries "continue to keep the lines of communication open."