U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel today, Monday, for a visit that officials say is expected to focus on ultimately bringing an end to Israel's intense war in Gaza and transitioning to a more limited and focused conflict. A senior U.S. military official traveling with Austin told reporters that discussions are expected to revolve around Israeli plans for the next phase of the war in his talks with senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The official noted that "what you see in terms of high-intensity ground operations as well as air strikes today will not last forever. It is one phase of the campaign." He added, "We have an interest in supporting the Israelis in planning what the transitional phase will look like when they decide that major ground operations must end and they are ready to transition."
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated that the U.S. and Israel seem to agree on the ultimate transition to the next phase of the campaign. He added that "Washington wants this to happen sooner, perhaps within a few weeks, while Israel feels it needs more time." Eisenstadt concluded, "So they have a preliminary agreement on the way forward and the need to eventually transition to a more targeted approach, but there are differences regarding the timeline."
Axios reported, citing an American and an Israeli official, that CIA Director William Burns "is scheduled to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the head of Mossad in Warsaw today to discuss a potential new agreement for the release of Israeli hostages held by the Hamas movement in Gaza."
