Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday spoke to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a conversation that took place several hours after Katz took office.
“I thanked him for the US steadfast support for Israel since the beginning of the war, its commitment to our joint efforts to bring all hostages home, and for maintaining our strategic ties against the threats posed by Iran and its proxies,” Katz wrote in a post on social media site X.
“I expressed my gratitude for Secretary Austin’s condemnation of the severe attacks on Jews in Amsterdam and his offer to assist if needed. I am confident we will meet soon in Israel,” he added.
Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder later provided a readout of the call between Austin and Katz, saying, “Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III held an introductory call today with the new Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, and congratulated him on his recent appointment.”
“Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security and support for its right to defend itself. The Secretary reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic arrangement in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border. He also emphasized the US commitment to securing the release of all hostages, including US citizens, and the need to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” added Ryder.
“Secretary Austin expressed concern and extended sympathies for the attacks against Israeli citizens in Amsterdam yesterday and offered any necessary assistance,” the statement concluded.
Katz officially assumed his role in a ceremony that was held at the Israel Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tel Aviv earlier on Friday.
Members of the IDF General Staff Forum and the Ministry’s leadership attended the ceremony. During the event, the defense establishment bid farewell to outgoing Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant.
Gallant and Austin held frequent conversations in the last year, since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the war which followed.
On Thursday, in their final call while Gallant was in office, Austin told Gallant that he has been a “trusted partner and friend”, the Pentagon said.
Gallant earlier said that he had spoken to Austin and “expressed my deep appreciation to the Secretary for his partnership and deep commitment to the defense cooperation between our countries, and to the security of the State of Israel. Secretary Austin stood by my side in Israel just a few days following the October 7th attack, and he has stood with Israel ever since.”
"Thank you to Secretary Austin and the US Administration for your extraordinary support during Israel’s darkest hour. It has been my honor and privilege to serve my country and to work together in further deepening the bond between our nations,” added Gallant.
"Our ties are critical to the security and prosperity of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. And we must remember that the United States and Israel are beacons of light, freedom, and progress in this world - our special bond must remain powerful and unshakeable," he concluded.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)