Top general, Pentagon chief to meet with Israeli officials next week

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Brown Jr. will join Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in his travels to Israel next week, the first time the military’s highest-ranking officer will visit the Middle East since taking on the role, the Pentagon’s top spokesperson said Thursday. 

Brown and Austin will be in Israel for meetings with senior Israeli officials, press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.  

The trip comes as the Biden administration has stressed a desire for Israel to embark on a lower-intensity phase of its conflict against Hamas to minimize civilian deaths. More than 18,000 Palestinians, a large portion of them children, have been killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, causing international outcry. 

The White House wants a ratcheting down on the intensity of fighting in Gaza in favor of a more targeted strategy in the “near future,” according to National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.  

That message comes even as Israeli officials indicate their war against Hamas is not close to concluding, with Israel’s defense minister suggesting Thursday the conflict would continue for months. 

But President Biden the same day said he wanted Israel “to be focused on how to save civilian lives. Not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful.” 

To that end, national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Israeli leaders about the war’s progress and “where the Israelis think it’s going to go” during a visit Thursday to Tel Aviv, Kirby said.  

“He did talk about possibly transitioning from what we would call high-intensity operations, which is what we’re seeing them do now, to lower-intensity operations sometime, you know, in the near future,” Kirby noted. 

Biden also admitted Thursday that Israel was carrying out “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza, which is a breach of international humanitarian law. 

Asked whether Austin agrees with the president’s assessment of Israel’s bombing, Ryder deflected, saying the Pentagon chief has been in regular communication with his counterpart “to not only, again, reaffirm our support for Israel and their right to defend themselves, but also to underscore the importance of protecting civilians as they conduct their operations.” 

Later asked the same question again, Ryder said he wouldn’t speak to the president’s comments. 

Austin “believes that Israel has an inherent right to defend themselves. You’ve heard him say that our support for them is nonnegotiable.” 

The administration has strongly supported Israel in its fight against Hamas, frequently arguing the country has a right to defend itself. But U.S. officials in recent days expressed concerns about the sheer number of civilian deaths in Gaza.