He also spoke about ongoing military aid for israel, the recent hospital explosion in gaza and irans potential role of the attack on israel. This is about 35 minutes. , currently underway and in route. Additionally we are enhancing our Fighter Aircraft president s in the Central Command region to provide additional capabilities. By posturing these u. S. Naval assets in advance, we aim to send a strong message intended to deter a wider conflict to bolster regional stability, and to make it clear that we will protect and defend our National Security interest. The crew of the guided missile destroyer, uss kearny, operating in the northern red sea, earlier today shot down three land attack missiles. In several drones that were launched by forces in yemen. This action was a demonstration of the integrated air architecture we built in the middle east and that we are prepared to utilize, whenever necessary, to protect our partners in our interest in this important reason region. There were no casualties u. S. Forces and none that we know of to any civilians on the ground. Information about the engagement is still being processed. We cannot say for certain what these missiles and drones were targeting, but they were launched from yemen heading north along the red sea, potentially towards targets in israel. Our defensive responses when we wouldve taken for any similar threat in the region where we are able to do so against our interest personnel and our partners. This may be ongoing, so if we have more information to share, we will. As the secretary has made clear, we have the capability to defend our broader interest in the region and deter escalation and broader expansion of the conflict that began with hamas attack on israeli civilians on october 7. The crew of the carney did just that and across the force we will remain vigilant to any other potential threats. While im on the topic of threats, i will be providing an update on the reports of several drone attacks against u. S. Facilities in iraq and syria. Early yesterday morning, october 18, the garrison in syria was targeted by two drones. U. S. And Coalition Forces engage one drone, destroying it while the other impacted the base resulting in minor injuries to Coalition Forces. The same morning in iraq, Early Morning systems indicated a possible threat approaching the airbase and pays personnel sheltered in place as a protective measure. Though no attack occurred, sadly, a u. S. Civilian contractor suffered a cardiac episode while sheltering and passed away shortly after. Our deepest sympathies and condolences are with the loved ones of the individual who passed away. The day before on october 17, u. S. Military forces defended against three drones near u. S. And Coalition Forces in iraq. In western iraq u. S. Forces engage two drones, destroying one and damaging the second, resulting in minor injuries to Coalition Forces. In northern iraq, u. S. Forces destroyed a drone near russia airbase resulting in injuries or damage. While i wont forecast any potential response to these attacks, i will say that we will take all necessary actions to defend u. S. And Coalition Forces against any threat. Any response, should one occur, will come at a time and manner of our choosing. In light of this activity, secretary austin continues to engage in his counterparts and read leaders in the middle east. He conducted a series of calls, which included discussions with his highness president Sheikh Mohammed penzias of the united arab emirates. The shake of qatar and saudi arabia minister of defense. Secretary austin also spoke with the israeli minister of defense just a few moments ago. During these calls he reiterated u. S. Support for israels right to defend itself from terrorist attacks and also underscored the importance of safeguarding innocent civilians, both palestinian and israeli. He emphasized again that any country or any group thinking about trying to take advantage of the situation in israel to try to widen the conflict, should think twice and not doubt the result of the United States. It is our aim to avoid any regional expansion of israels conflict with hamas, but we stand ready and prepared to protect and defend our partners and our interest, and we will act to do so. Readouts of these calls will be posted to the dod website later today. And with respect to u. S. Support to israel, the forced shipments of milk first shipments of military aid again arriving and continue to arrive on a near daily basis. This assistance is comprised of capabilities requested by israel to include precision ammunition, such as joint attack munitions, small diameter, 155 artillery musician and critical equipment. In addition, iron down iron dome interceptions have been quickly provided to israel. In the days ahead, we will be flying additional interceptors so that israel has the capabilities they need to sustain their iron dome Defense Systems and protect their citizens and cities from rocket attacks. We will leverage several avenues available to us to clear our stocks and industry generals that reinforced United States unwavering and ironclad support for both the Israeli Defense forces and israeli people. The department of defense will continue to support, plan and undertake these Critical Missions professionally and it is with the inherent right to protect our fours. With that, i will be happy to take your question. Could you also talk about apparently theres a new round of attacks that is occurring now or has happened today. Do you have any information on that . I have seen some reporting on that. I dont have details right now. But certainly, as more information becomes available, we will pass that along. As the silence has uptick since the hospital bombing, what Protection Measures are you taking for the forces where there has been so much activity over the years as they have tried to move weapons and people . Certainly we take force protection extremely seriously and we will continue to do so. We dont have to get into specific force Protection Measures other than when we have forces in harms way, we will look and with all possible efforts to ensure that they remain safe and are able to stay focused on their mission. This is something we will continue to monitor. But, we are going to take force protection very seriously. Can you say you have taken additional force Protection Measures, and are you seeing more activity in the last couple of days then you have . We are taking appropriate force Protection Measures to ensure the safety of our troops. Im not going to get into specifics. Clearly this is an uptick in the types of drone activity weve seen in iraq and syria. But again. I will leave it at that. This is a sensitive question. Theres a lot of talk amongst special operations veterans that when President Biden went israel, he had a picture taken with Service Members who look special operators. Can the Defense Department confirmed the white house took this picture down that these were special operators, and if so, is there a policy against having special operators have their picture taken . I would have to refer you to the white house, i have no information to provide. Let me go to dan. The attacks in syria and iraq, the pentagon describes the blame on those two iranian backed malaysians with similar descriptions. You have the sense thats the case . We continue to assess the nature of these attacks. And that is something that we will continue to look very closely at, as you mentioned. In the past we have seen iranian backed militia conduct these types of things, but as of now, i have no specifics. Do you have any update on if iran is directly tied to the hamas attack . No, at this point, the information that we have does not show a direct connection to the hamas attack on october 7. As a relates to iran. Again, that something we will continue to look closely at. All that to say, as youve heard others say, iran has a significant relationship with hamas in terms of funding, training and support. And so, again, in that regard, they certainly bear some responsibility. Again, no direct link to these attacks and we will continue to keep an ion that. Just for clarification, the uss carney, you said they are aware of the missile targeting. Do you believe they were targeting the carney . What i provided at the top right now is what we know. Again, we will continue to assess this. Can you talk about what naval assets you have in total in the red sea. Im not going to provide a laydown of all of our forces in the region, other than to say, as you know, the uss Gerald Ford Strike Group does remain underway in the eastern mediterranean. It is in the mediterranean as well. It is in route to the eastern mediterranean. The carter hall and the baton currently remain underway in the gulf of aden. I know there have been questions about that and i will leave it at that. Given what we were talking about drone attacks, is there going to be something for u. S. Service members and their families and are there fears that the attacks will be geared towards u. S. Service members, even if not in the middle east . Im not tracking any specific threat in that regard. Obviously, as i mentioned earlier, we do take force protection seriously, no matter where we are serving. So we will continue to do that. Again, to separate things in terms of state department and its report its responsibility to warn u. S. Citizens, u. S. Military, wherever we are serving, we will take appropriate measures. Right now im not aware of any specific threats against u. S. Service members and their families, which is what i think you are asking. Do you have a question . Let me go to wall street journal. Just two questions, is there any reason to think that that the perpetrators are not what they have been in the past and im just wondering if there is any reason to think there would be anything different. And just to clarify, where there any american aircraft or other property damaged in any of these attacks . They can remember what you said specifically. In terms of the attribution for these attacks, again, that something we are continuing to look at. Im not going to have any information to provide right now in terms of the impacts of those beyond what i have provided. Let me go to rebecca from bbc. I wonder if you can confirm the comments that the idf has been given to go there . Ive obviously seen the press reports on that. Im not sure what that means as it relates to idf operations. I would refer you to them to talk about their operations. Thank you. Subcontractor who died, was he or she an american citizen . I will get back to you on that. Can you say how many journalists were shot down and what kind of drone . I have no information on the specifics in terms of what system the tyranny used to take down if we are able to make that information available, we will. In terms of the number of drones, i think i kinda laid that out, right. Im about as specific as i can get. You said that you dont see any direct connection to the recent attack to october 7. But i wonder if you see any connection to this uptick, because this is a departure. If you see any connection to what has happen after october 7 to the fact that the israelis are talking about a massive Ground Invasion and doing these airstrikes. The reality is, i dont want to allow my mat allow my imagination to fill in the gaps in the supposition, clearly there are tensions in the region, which is why you see us working so hard right now to make sure we are keeping lines of communication over with regional leaders to make sure we are sharing information. And also for actors in the region to understand our message loud and clear about the turns to prevent potential miscalculation. Again, as we continue to look at this and analyze the nature of these attacks and attribute these attacks, we will certainly know more, but thats very at now. In the meantime, our focus is going to be continuing to ensure that we are deterring potential broader regional conflict, as i mentioned. And also continuing to work closely with israel to ensure they have with a need to defend themselves against future terrorist attacks. When you talk about interception, you said the restriction of air and missile defense. Were other nations in the region and did they contribute one way or the other to the information radar . As you know, we obviously the United States works with a lot of partners in the region and broadly speaking, have integrated air defense capabilities. In this particular case, the uss carney, as i highlighted, determining this threat was able to take that threat out. Thats about as specific as i can get. I dont have any other information. The president , as you know, mentioned that they confirmed the dod to say israel wasnt responsible. They used to broadcast to make it the case that it was , a very detailed investigative report about that based on our broadcasting. The missile that they claimed was a jihad missile was actually intercepted seven minutes before the hospital was targeted. Channel four, u. K. , they are saying, even though there is not a big rate you dont mind just to get to the question. Theres lots of questioning of what the president claimed and what israelis are saying, noting that many hospitals have been targeted in the u. N. Facilities by israel. Are you willing to share the data that you have that the president used . A couple of things here. First of all. Dont conflate other reporting and media reporting with where we are necessarily getting our information from. We certainly have our own capabilities, some of which does include opensource information, but we have other capabilities. As you know, the white house put out a statement yesterday on this topic. When it comes to informing our senior leaders, we are using our own information to make those assessments. As youve heard us say, right now, based on the information that we have, it is our assessment that israel was not responsible for that explosion. We are continuing to assess that. Initial indications are that this was from an air rocket that was launched by the palestinian, islamic jihad. But again, you will continue to assess this, and thats where we are at on this particular topic right now. But again, just to reassure you, we are not necessarily relying on other reports, or media reports to come to those conclusions. That wasnt my question. I question is, under international law, this is a war crime, regardless. So are you willing to share the data that it has right now. Right now im sharing with you what we have. If we have more to provide, then we will. On syria and iraq, can you say more about how they took out the drones. And then can you give more specifics on where the intercepted lay, overland or overseas . My understanding on the latter, and again, we will have more details, potentially in the future. My understanding is it was overwater. As far as the taking out the drones, im not going to get into specifics, other than to say defensive systems on those facilities were able to successfully take those drones down. And then just a broader question, the assets sent to the region for deterrence and the attacks, is deterrence working, and do you see this as an escalation . Its a great question. What i would say is, its important to take a step back. First of all, these smallscale attacks are clearly concerning and dangerous, and we are going to do everything necessary to ensure that we are protecting our forces. And if and when we choose to respond, we will do so on a time of our choosing. But if you step back and look again at what our broader strategic aim is, which is to deter a broader regional conflict, it is why you see us putting Additional Forces in the air, which gives us more options to respond, just why you see us continue to communicate very actively with partners in the region, as well as potential actors who might want to try to take advantage of this. So, again, right now, this conflict is contained between israel and hamas, and we are going to do everything we can to ensure deterrence in the region so that this does not become a broader regional conflict. While listening in on this, the middle east is on fire now because of the u. S. Helping after october 7. You dont any connection between yemen, syria and iraq at this point in terms of iran directing the attacks. Right now, i think you have to look at these individually. We are taking them seriously and responding appropriately, ensuring that our forces are protected. But again, our focus is on deterring a broader regional conflict. And right now, this conflict is contained between israel and hamas, and continue to work close with partners in the region and allies to ensure we can maintain deterrence going forward. What advanced aircraft are you talking about, and where are they coming from . Are those from stocks being flown to israel . In terms of interceptor ammunition. We will have a variety of means available to include stocks that are already in israel. So, i wont get into specifics on where exactly they are coming from other than, we have a variety of means to do that. Im sorry, your first question . He did say they were being flown from the United States, the interceptors. Im just asking, the army stocks. In terms of the interceptor ammunition. Again, we have a variety of sources, both u. S. Based and then also coming from within. Are those being redeployed to the region . Rex in terms of advanced Fighter Aircraft, just to clarify in terms of f16, f15s, right now i am not tracking any f35s to read out on that front. But if that changes, we will let you know. I have time for a few more. You are raising your hand you are not looking at me. I have a question on ukraine. The artillery shells were initially designated for ukraine. Do you have any, of that . I dont have any information on that other than to say we are confident we can continue to support both ukraine and israel in terms of their defensive needs. Can you specify how many missiles have been provided for ukraine, are there any conditions on their use in the battlefield, how will they complement ukraine . I cannot get into the specifics in terms of the number of things we provide, but just like all of the other systems and equipment we have provided to ukraine, it is with the assurances that this will be used within sovereign ukraine to take back and defend sovereign ukrainian territory. They said this is not the shipment that was a commitment to provide more on the ukrainian future. Again, we will continue to consult with our allies and partners to make sure they have what they need to defend themselves against russia. Let me go to the phone. Jeff sullivan. Thank you for doing this, he spoke a little bit about the military attacks in the region, the drone attacks. To what extent is the pentagon worried about nonmilitary or nonmilitant Group Activity or some of the process that are looking at u. S. Target embassies, the biggest concern with a coordinated push between other people pushing for intentions in the region. In the past, the pentagon has been part of the effort to declassify information the pushback against russia. Is that pentagon pushing forward where we will get information since if they did bomb the hospital hasnt had intentions . On your latter question, as i mentioned, when and if we have more information to provide on that, we certainly will. I just dont have any Additional Information at this time. As it relates to the broader middle east region and around the world. Of course, we always take safety and security of our citizens very seriously. We will continue to staying close consultation with state department. It is clearly something we are keeping an eye on. We recognize that there are tensions right now in the middle east and throughout the broader region. Again, i am not tracking any specific information regarding the specific targeting of american citizens or u. S. Military forces or their families, but again, this is something we will take seriously and do whatever we need to do to ensure their safety. Thank you very much. Why did the u. S. Shoot down the drones . Why . Who were they protecting . What i read out of the top. I dont think you necessarily addressed it. Its pretty uncommon. In case of the u. S. Intercepting some things. I dont remember the u. S. Intercepting anything in the northern red sea. So there mustve been a reason that the decision was made to protect israel . As this missile was detected in the decision was made that opposed a potential threat based on its flight profile, so the decision was made to take it down. A threat to israel . This is something we are still assessing. Is that a secretary level decision to do that . Not to my knowledge. The ships commander . I dont have the specifics of who made the authorization but we always maintain the inherent right to selfdefense and so the decision was made to take the shot and they took it. There was the missiles toward israel. Was it selfdefense . Again, what i had at the top is what i have to provide. I wanted to ask about the hospital issue. There were several hundred victims. El afd is saying it was 30 to 50. Does the u. S. Have any better idea of actually how many casualties there were from it . Thank you. The short answer is, not yet. That is something we are looking at. And like you, youve seen numbers all over the map. So thats another aspect that we are looking at right now. Thank you, sir. On tuesday, the pentagon announced that it was giving the ready to deploy around 2000 troops. Have any units of the 2000 rough troops been identified yet . Wax we have identified units, but what i would tell you is right now we wont go into specifics on unless those units are tasked to deploy, at which time we will talk about what those units are. Are those units stateside . I am not. They stressed the need to focus on the in President Biden mentioned the mistakes after 9 11, which caused in the position. Forces were ready in the mediterranean. There were told that they put the u. S. Troops on the ground. Even though the u. S. Tried to limit the damage, does it create a brick impact on syria and any preparation of u. S. Military presence on the ground in a future scenario in the middle east again. Im not sure i understand what you are asking. The question is, even though you are trying to limit the damage, to uss in the middle east. Do we assess a large war . Thats exec we what we are trying to prevent. That is the United States clearly working with our International Allies and partners around the world to ensure regional stability and security to brew to prevent conflicts from becoming regional, and again, like everyone else, all peace and freedom loving countries, we want people to be able to live in peace, stability and security and we will continue to stay focused on that. This is a very unfortunate situation right now that we are seeing play out, as israel tries to defend itself from hamas terrorist attacks. We will continue to stand by the people of israel as they look to defend themselves and their country. But certainly, when it comes to the broader middle east, no one wants to see this expanded to a broader regional war. And we will continue to work with our allies and partners to prevent that. Im not going to get into hypotheticals. I think you and i would both agree we would not want to see that. Time for a few more. Can you clarify the nature of the minor injuries by the Coalition Personnel . I cannot other than to say they returned to duty. You mentioned this conflict is between israel and hamas. The attacks on the airbase were claimed by the Islamic Resistance in iraq. The headset that if americans intervene in gaza, the entire axis of resistance will intervene in the entire region will catch fire. They said that we will consider all americans targets if the u. S. Intervenes. The leader said his side was in total coordination with groups across the region. To see no connection with the gaza war on what just happened . Wax is important to separate these attacks from the current situation, we will continue to assess attribution on the rhetoric from hate groups is not a new thing in the region. We are going to take all of that seriously, but we are also not going to overreact. We will do what we need to do to deter conflict and ensure regional stability, while at the same time supporting israel. All right, last question. Thank you, general. The state Department Release numbers that at least 30 american citizens died in the initial hamas attack in israel, do you have any data on how many of those were combatants, like tools citizens fighting with israel or how many were just tourists . I dont. I apologize. One more from the front. Let me go to james. If you look at any u. S. Airstrike that accidentally kills civilians, even if those civilians are located with enemy combatants, the u. S. Typically takes responsibility for that incident. Israels position has been that, in the air strikes in gaza, it is not their fault that innocent civilians have been killed, in fact, its the fault of hamas. Im wondering where the u. S. Stands on that position that israel has taken . Wax i wont speak for israel. I will say, and youve heard secretary austen say this, that israel is a professional military, its professionally led, but this is something we have been communicating actively both publicly and privately in terms of the importance of ensuring, and as i mentioned in my topper, safeguarding civilians, both palestinian and Israeli Police operations are planned. That will continue to be our position. Thank you. Other special Operation Forces in israel right now . I dont have any specifics to provide for you. If the question is we have special Operation Forces conducting boots on the ground. Again, youve heard us say that we were not going to have boots on the ground, but i dont have anything. We are providing, planning intelligence support to the israelis as it pertains to hostage recovery. That is about the extent of what im able to provide right now. Im sorry, before we conclude, i just want to highlight one other thing. On tuesday this week, ms. Laura cooper, the w assistance of russia, ukraine was recognized as a 2023 Samuel J Heyman federal employee of the year award winner. Since the start of russias war in ukraine, cooper and her team have led the response by the u. S. And a coalition of some 50 countries to secure Critical Military aid for ukraine at an unprecedented pace. Also known as the oscars of government service, they are premier awards and Recognition Program for federal employees. On behalf of the secretary of defense and entire dod, we want to congratulate ms. Cooper on this significant professional accomplishment. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Cspans washington journal, a live forum involving you to discuss the latest issues in government, politics and public policy. From washington, d. C. And across the country, coming up across the country, discussing the latest in the israelhamas conflict in regional and global follow. The American University school of International Service professor on the role of congress in u. S. Foreign policy. Cspans washington journal, join the conversation live at 7 00 eastern friday morning on cspan, cspan now, our free mobile video app or online at cspan. Org. Monday, watch cspan series in partnership with the library of congress, books that shaped america will feature mark twains novel, adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the novel is controversial from the beginning because of the subject matter and use of dialect. The book has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and has had a profound impact on American Literature. The library of congress quotes Ernest Hemingway of saying, all modern American Literature comes from one book by mark swain called Huckleberry Finn. Andrey leavy, english professor at Butler University in indianapolis has taught classes on Huckleberry Finn for years. He will join us on the program to discuss the book. 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