Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the US will help defend Israel in the event of an attack on the country, The Times of Israel reports.
Austin made the statement after the assassination of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
According to the newspaper, the Pentagon chief also noted that Washington was working to reduce tensions in the region amid Haniyeh’s death.
Earlier, Austin did not answer a question about Israel’s possible involvement in the assassination, as well as whether the US knew about it in advance.
A spokesman for the Palestinian movement, commenting on the incident in Tehran, said Israel would answer for the crime.
