US Reaffirms Support for Israel's Right to Self-Defense Amid Hezbollah Preemptive Strikes

The United States reaffirmed its existing stance supporting Israel's right to self-defense in its preemptive strike against Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian armed group in Lebanon, and expressed readiness to support Israel's defense.

According to foreign media including AFP on the 25th (local time), Pat Ryder, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, stated that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had a conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant regarding Israel's defense against Hezbollah's attacks.

In a statement, spokesperson Ryder said that Secretary Austin "reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to defending Israel from any attacks by Iran and Iran's regional partners and proxies."

Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a separate statement saying, "(The United States) has made it very clear that it is prepared to support Israel's defense."

Earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Galant announced that the Israeli military had launched a preemptive strike against Lebanon and declared a state of emergency across Israel for 48 hours starting from 6 a.m. that day.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense stated that Minister Galant briefed U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin on the situation and said, "(Israel) carried out precise strikes in Lebanon to prevent imminent threats of attacks against Israeli citizens."

Sean Savett, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council (NSC), said that senior U.S. officials are continuously communicating with Israel under the direction of President Joe Biden, who is closely monitoring the situations in both Israel and Lebanon.

He added, "We will continue to support Israel's right to self-defense and continue efforts for regional stability."

Immediately after Israel's announcement of the preemptive strike, Hezbollah stated in a press release that it had conducted large-scale drone and rocket attacks on Israeli territory in retaliation for the death of a senior commander last month due to Israeli bombings.