Pentagon: Close US-Israel Coordination Needed on Syria Crisis
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized the importance of close coordination between the United States and Israel on developments in Syria during a call with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday. The conversation comes amid significant shifts in Syria following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Austin expressed Washington’s support for a peaceful, inclusive political transition in Syria, and reiterated the US mission to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State group. Syria is entering a new era after Syrian rebels, led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, ousted Assad, ending over 50 years of rule by the Assad family. Assad fled the country over the weekend, leaving the international community closely monitoring Syria’s future stability.
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Following Assad’s fall, Israel’s military reported conducting hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, claiming to have destroyed much of Syria’s strategic weapons stockpiles.
During the call, Austin and Katz also discussed efforts to secure Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Austin urged Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where Israel’s military response to the October 7 Hamas attack has killed nearly 45,000 people, displaced nearly all 2.3 million residents, and triggered international accusations of war crimes—charges Israel denies.
The Pentagon also stressed the need for US-Israel consultation amid regional upheavals as both nations navigate the fallout from Syria’s regime change and ongoing conflict in Gaza.
