Pentagon insists U.S. can support Israel, Ukraine together

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that the United States can support Ukraine while also providing military assistance to Israel. Earlier this week, while visiting Kyiv, he announced more than $100 million in additional aid to Ukraine through a military drawdown aid package.

What did Austin say about the conflicts? On Tuesday, Austin told leaders from the Defense Contact Group, which includes more than 50 countries supporting Ukraine, that Iran was involved in the Israel and Ukraine conflicts. He accused the Iranian regime of supplying drones to Putin and supplying weapons to Hamas. The United States has also accused Iran of providing proxy forces and militias in the Middle East with weapons they have used to attack U.S. military forces in the region.

Dig deeper: Read Marc LiVecche’s column in WORLD Opinions about how the United States needs a more forceful response to Iranian-backed militia drone strikes in the Middle East.