Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to urge Israel to wind down major combat operations in Gaza.
The U.S. is facing pressure to mitigate the impact of the offensive on Palestinian civilians.
Israel’s allies, including France, the U.K., and Germany, have called for a cease-fire, while Israeli protesters demand talks with Hamas.
The U.S. has vetoed U.N. calls for a cease-fire and provided munitions to Israel, but also urged measures to minimize civilian harm.
The war has led to significant casualties and displacement in Gaza, with calls for a transition to a new phase of the conflict.
Israel has faced accusations of restricting aid to Gaza, and the conflict has spilled into other regions, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
“Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the war began, and other Iran-backed militant groups have attacked U.S. targets in Syria and Iraq,” the report noted.
“Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have targeted ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones.”
“A U.S. official said multiple projectiles were fired at the Swan Atlantic, a Cayman Islands-flagged tanker, in the Red Sea off Yemen on Monday. The official said the USS Carney, an American warship, responded, without providing further details. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the attack and so spoke on condition of anonymity,” the report added.
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