WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that the United States was dedicated to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and urged Israel to improve “dire” conditions in Gaza, in a call Saturday with his Israeli counterpart.
Austin “reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border” in his call with Israel Katz, a Pentagon spokesperson said.
A spokesman for Katz said the defense minister underscored that Israel would “continue to act decisively in response to Hezbollah’s attacks on civilian populations in Israel.”
During the call, “Katz commended US efforts to facilitate de-escalation in Lebanon, emphasized Israel’s commitment to restoring security that would enable northern residents to return to their homes safely,” his spokesman said.
US envoy Amos Hochstein was in Lebanon and Israel this week, meeting with both countries’ senior officials, to try to negotiate an end to the war.
In the call Austin also “urged the Government of Israel to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and emphasized the US commitment to securing the release of all hostages, including US citizens.”
Israel has been fighting in Gaza since October 2023, when a cross-border attack by Hamas militants resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
During the attack, militants took 251 hostages, of whom 97 are still held in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has led to the deaths of 44,176 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry which the United Nations considers reliable.
Israel is currently engaged in fierce fighting with Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both groups are backed by Israel’s arch-foe Iran.
Lebanon said Saturday an Israeli air strike in the heart of Beirut that brought down a residential building killed at least 15 people.
Israel stepped up its campaign against Hezbollah in late September, targeting its strongholds in Lebanon.
The health ministry in Beirut says more than 3,650 people have been killed since October 2023, when Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel in solidarity with Hamas.
The United Nations and others have repeatedly decried humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the north of the Palestinian territory, where Israel said Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
In his call with Katz, Austin also discussed ongoing Israeli operations and reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security,” the Pentagon said.
US says committed to ‘diplomatic resolution’ in Lebanon
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US says committed to ‘diplomatic resolution’ in Lebanon
- Austin “reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes “
- He also “urged the Government of Israel to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza”
Morocco pushes to reform social security system amid inflation and economic pressure, PM says
- Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Aziz Akhannouch said his government had expanded healthcare to more than 80 percent of its population
DUBAI: Morocco’s prime minister said on Tuesday that the country was pursuing radical social and economic reforms in the wake of inflationary and economic pressures.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Aziz Akhannouch said his government had expanded healthcare to more than 80 percent of its population, up from just 42 percent when he took office three years ago.
He said this also coincided with consistently strong economic growth and headline inflation reducing to below 1 percent.
“In a world that doubts itself, Morocco has decided to protect its population, reform and look forward,” he told attendees in Davos.
In late 2025, Morocco was rocked by its largest demonstrations in over a decade as youth‑led groups mobilized nationwide against deteriorating public services, deepening social inequality, and chronic unemployment.
Akhannouch said the country was aware of the difficulties facing Moroccans and was determined to ensure the country would remain on a positive trajectory.
Part of this included the provision of financial aid to more than 12 million citizens, and the formation of trusts for orphans to be paid out when they turn 18.
“Health means dignity, if you want to have a decent life you have to have good health,” he said.
Nevertheless, Akhannouch noted that the government had not forgone its budgetary principles — and had in fact balanced the country’s debt payments and achieved successful fiscal reforms. He noted S&P’s decision in 2025 to raise Morocco’s sovereign rating to BBB‑/A‑3 and restore its investment‑grade status.
Speaking on the World Cup, set to be co-hosted with neighbors Spain and Portugal in 2030, he said the project was seen as a nation-building exercise that would help spur Morocco to develop its underlying infrastructure and provide employment opportunities for young Moroccans.
“It will be a growth accelerator,” he said.
“When we build new rail networks and upgrade cities it will have a long-term impact on people.”
