Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared on Saturday that the United States would stand with Israel as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war against Palestinian militants that have attacked his country.
The attacks from Hamas were launched on Saturday in a surprise fashion and have since claimed the lives of more than 600 people in Israel, with hundreds more being wounded, according to Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
Austin shared in a statement to The Hill Saturday that the U.S. will ensure Israel “has what it needs to defend itself” going forward.
He went on to say that he was “closely monitoring developments in Israel.”
“Our commitment to Israel’s right to defend itself remains unwavering,” Austin said. “Over the coming days, the Department of Defense will work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians from indiscriminate violence and terrorism.”
He went on to share his condolences with the families of those who have lost their lives.
More than 2,000 missiles were launched at Israel by the militants as they also stormed the country from numerous directions after infiltrating the border.
Videos have circulated online of the terror, as militants have taken to the streets with the bodies of those they’ve killed, including one German tattoo artist who was at a music concert in the country at the time of the attack, the New York Post reported.
Hamas has also taken numerous hostages, including several Americans, according to Dermer, who spoke with CNN on Sunday. He did not specify exactly how many Americans were being held.
Still, Dermer said that this was a “savage attack” and that women, children, and elderly people were among those taken captive in Gaza.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared with CNN that the U.S. was “working overtime” to verify reports of missing and dead Americans.
The U.S. has condemned the attacks, and the United Nations announced that its Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting on Sunday at 3 p.m. EST to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
In a social media post, Netanyahu said several European leaders have offered support for Israel, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
He said in his post that the world leaders “expressed unreserved support for Israel’s right to defend itself as necessary.”
“I spoke with Netanyahu to affirm Ukraine’s solidarity with Israel, which suffers from a brazen large-scale attack, and to express condolences for the multiple victims,” Zelensky, whose own nation is facing attacks from Russia, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.