Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that US Forces in the Middle East stand ready to support Israel’s defense BRUSSELS: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s killing opens a major opportunity to negotiate a lasting ceasefire, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Friday, after attending a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels. He added that US Forces in the Middle East stand ready to support Israel’s defense. “Sinwar’s death also provides an extraordinary opportunity to achieve a lasting ceasefire, to end this awful war and to rush humanitarian aid into Gaza,” he said.