Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, where it says it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, has killed over 2,000 people and displaced over a million WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday and discussed Israel’s operations in Lebanon and the humanitarian situation in Gaza after a letter earlier this week to Israel from Washington that urged improvement of Gaza’s humanitarian situation. “The Secretary encouraged the Government of Israel to continue taking steps to address the dire humanitarian situation, noting the recent action by Israel to increase the amount of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza,” the Pentagon said in a statement on Wednesday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin wrote to Israeli officials on Sunday demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave, or face potential restrictions on US military aid. The Pentagon readout after the Wednesday call did not mention the letter. Israel’s military assault on Gaza has killed almost 42,000 Palestinians in the last year, caused a hunger crisis, displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population and led to genocide allegations at the World Court that Israel denies. Israel says it is acting in self-defense after an Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. The Hamas attack killed 1,200 with about 250 also taken as hostage and triggered the latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Austin and Gallant also discussed an advanced US anti-missile system that Washington has deployed to bolster Israel’s air defenses, the Pentagon said. “Austin and Minister Gallant discussed the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as an operational example of the United States’ ironclad support to the defense of Israel,” the Pentagon said. Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, where it says it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, has killed over 2,000 people and displaced over a million. The region has been on edge over an expected Israeli response to Iran for a missile attack that Tehran carried out in retaliation for Israel’s escalations in Lebanon.