Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had a telephone conversation with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
According to the statement released by the Israeli defense ministry, Gallant and Austin jointly assessed the situation and exchanged views on regional developments and threats.
Their discussions focused primarily on joint training and maintaining the combat readiness and interoperability of Israeli and American forces in the face of ongoing threats to Israel from Iran and Hezbollah, Gallant's office added in the statement.
Also, the Israeli defense minister briefed Austin on the developments taking place in Gaza, "presenting in detail the achievements of the Israeli Defense Forces in defeating the Rafah Brigade of Hamas and destroying more than 150 tunnels in that area."
In addition, they discussed the efforts to reach an agreement on the release of Hamas hostages in Gaza.
Gallant reaffirmed his firm commitment to reach an agreement and emphasized the critical point related to securing this framework, added the Israeli defense ministry's press service.
