Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has stressed that the United States is dedicated to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and urged Israel to improve “dire” conditions in Gaza, during a phone call with his Israeli counterpart, AFP reports.

Austin “reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon” in his call with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, while also pushing Israel “to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza”, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Editorial

Updated 03 Aug, 2026

Farewell to arms?

PALESTINIAN resistance group Hamas recently made a major concession by agreeing to give up its weapons. It should be...
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Unplanned future

A PROJECTION that Pakistan’s population could reach 400m by 2040 should not be treated as another dramatic number...
03 Aug, 2026

No more torture

EVEN the best laws on the books are worth little unless the state shows the willingness to enforce them. This is...
Updated 02 Aug, 2026

Urban flooding

THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban...
02 Aug, 2026

Fatal workplaces

THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of...
02 Aug, 2026

Dual standards

IT appears that the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has fallen foul of the Election Commission of Pakistan. A...