Austin postpones visit to Israel after escalation with Hezbollah

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has postponed a planned visit to Israel, following the escalation in confrontations between the Israeli army and the Lebanese Hezbollah, and a strong American fear that it could deteriorate into a full-scale war, according to a press report. While a report by the Israeli website Walla quoted Israeli officials who said they were familiar with the details, that Austin had postponed the visit that was scheduled to take place early next week, the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) said on Thursday evening: 'We have not announced any visit by the Israeli Defense Minister to the United States, and we have no comment on reports of its postponement.' The Walla report indicated that Washington has recently been sending messages to Israel and Hezbollah, "publicly and secretly," regarding the need to stop the escalation. Source: Maan News Agency