1 00:00:00,509 --> 00:00:04,489 Here . Hi everyone . Good 2 00:00:04,500 --> 00:00:06,820 afternoon . Sorry for getting started . 3 00:00:06,829 --> 00:00:08,996 Just a few minutes late here . Um Just 4 00:00:08,996 --> 00:00:11,218 a few things at the top and then I'd be 5 00:00:11,218 --> 00:00:12,940 happy to dive in and take your 6 00:00:12,940 --> 00:00:14,885 questions . So earlier today , the 7 00:00:14,885 --> 00:00:16,607 secretary arrived in Jakarta , 8 00:00:16,607 --> 00:00:18,850 Indonesia to attend the 10th ASEAN 9 00:00:18,860 --> 00:00:21,850 defense ministers meeting plus while in 10 00:00:21,860 --> 00:00:23,819 Jakarta , he will conduct an ASEAN 11 00:00:23,829 --> 00:00:26,049 United States informal meeting to 12 00:00:26,059 --> 00:00:28,250 discuss opportunities to expand the 13 00:00:28,569 --> 00:00:30,450 ASEAN United States security 14 00:00:30,459 --> 00:00:32,650 co-operation . One year after the 15 00:00:32,659 --> 00:00:35,389 elevation of the ASEAN us relationship 16 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,122 to the comprehensive strategic 17 00:00:37,122 --> 00:00:39,400 partnership , he will also meet with 18 00:00:39,409 --> 00:00:41,465 regional counterparts to express the 19 00:00:41,465 --> 00:00:43,353 United states' deep commitment to 20 00:00:43,353 --> 00:00:45,465 working alongside allies and partners 21 00:00:45,470 --> 00:00:47,414 in support of a free and open Indo 22 00:00:47,414 --> 00:00:50,240 Pacific . Also earlier today , 23 00:00:50,250 --> 00:00:52,250 Secretary Austin approved a request 24 00:00:52,250 --> 00:00:54,189 from the DC Homeland Security and 25 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,790 Emergency Management Agency to provide 26 00:00:56,799 --> 00:00:59,419 30 DC National Guard personnel to 27 00:00:59,430 --> 00:01:02,119 support the DC Police Department during 28 00:01:02,130 --> 00:01:04,186 the March for Israel on the National 29 00:01:04,186 --> 00:01:06,209 Mall . These 30 guardsmen will be 30 00:01:06,220 --> 00:01:08,276 unarmed and will provide traffic and 31 00:01:08,276 --> 00:01:10,959 crowd management support to DC police 32 00:01:10,970 --> 00:01:14,040 from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and will 33 00:01:14,050 --> 00:01:15,772 remain under the operation and 34 00:01:15,772 --> 00:01:17,883 administrative command and control of 35 00:01:17,883 --> 00:01:20,120 the DC National Guard . The secretary 36 00:01:20,129 --> 00:01:21,907 has additionally authorized the 37 00:01:21,907 --> 00:01:23,685 activation of approximately six 38 00:01:23,685 --> 00:01:25,796 guardsmen from the DC National Guards 39 00:01:25,796 --> 00:01:28,260 civil support team . These guardsmen 40 00:01:28,269 --> 00:01:30,660 will sim similarly be unarmed and will 41 00:01:30,669 --> 00:01:32,891 remain under the command and control of 42 00:01:32,891 --> 00:01:35,139 the DC National Guard while providing 43 00:01:35,150 --> 00:01:37,639 support to DC , fire and emergency 44 00:01:37,650 --> 00:01:40,620 medical services . For more information , 45 00:01:40,629 --> 00:01:42,740 we would refer you to the DC Homeland 46 00:01:42,740 --> 00:01:44,629 Security and Emergency Management 47 00:01:44,629 --> 00:01:47,809 Agency and finally turning now to our 48 00:01:47,819 --> 00:01:50,449 forces in Syria and Iraq . Since 49 00:01:50,459 --> 00:01:53,010 October 17th through today , we are 50 00:01:53,019 --> 00:01:55,370 tracking that there have been 55 51 00:01:55,379 --> 00:01:57,720 attacks on us forces . There have been 52 00:01:57,730 --> 00:02:00,529 27 attacks against US forces in Iraq 53 00:02:00,540 --> 00:02:04,180 and 28 attacks in Syria and an update 54 00:02:04,190 --> 00:02:06,523 for you . Um from last week on injuries , 55 00:02:06,523 --> 00:02:09,320 we are also tracking 59 US personnel 56 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,110 who have received injuries in the TB I 57 00:02:12,119 --> 00:02:14,399 or nonserious categories since these 58 00:02:14,410 --> 00:02:16,466 act , uh since these attacks began , 59 00:02:16,850 --> 00:02:19,270 approximately 27 personnel have been 60 00:02:19,279 --> 00:02:22,960 evaluated for TB I and 32 for other 61 00:02:22,970 --> 00:02:25,639 non serious injuries . As of today , 62 00:02:25,649 --> 00:02:28,960 all 59 have returned to duty and with 63 00:02:28,970 --> 00:02:30,803 that , I'd be happy to take your 64 00:02:30,803 --> 00:02:33,026 questions , Tara , you want to start us 65 00:02:33,026 --> 00:02:35,137 all ? Yes , thanks . Um To just start 66 00:02:35,137 --> 00:02:37,300 with Syria . Can you give us any 67 00:02:37,309 --> 00:02:39,531 additional information on the airstrike 68 00:02:39,531 --> 00:02:41,642 that happened over the weekend ? What 69 00:02:41,642 --> 00:02:43,698 sort of battle damage assessment was 70 00:02:43,698 --> 00:02:45,698 there and did that strike result in 71 00:02:45,698 --> 00:02:47,642 casualties um on the ground ? So , 72 00:02:47,642 --> 00:02:49,809 something that we are continuing to do 73 00:02:49,809 --> 00:02:51,976 is uh battle damage assessment . But I 74 00:02:51,976 --> 00:02:53,920 don't have anything to read out in 75 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:56,031 terms of casualties . As we mentioned 76 00:02:56,031 --> 00:02:58,087 over the weekend , we are aware that 77 00:02:58,087 --> 00:03:00,895 there were I RGC affiliated members in 78 00:03:00,904 --> 00:03:02,960 the proximity of the facilities that 79 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,264 were struck by our aircraft . Um , but 80 00:03:05,274 --> 00:03:07,675 I don't have um , more on , on casualty 81 00:03:07,684 --> 00:03:09,851 numbers or anything else to read out . 82 00:03:09,851 --> 00:03:11,962 So you don't have a sense of like how 83 00:03:11,962 --> 00:03:14,184 many people were in the area . Ok . And 84 00:03:14,184 --> 00:03:16,406 then just this time , we're more on the 85 00:03:16,406 --> 00:03:18,462 uh summit that's taking place . Much 86 00:03:18,462 --> 00:03:20,351 has been said about the maybe the 87 00:03:20,351 --> 00:03:22,295 potential takeaways from this will 88 00:03:22,295 --> 00:03:24,128 really be Mill to Mill and maybe 89 00:03:24,128 --> 00:03:26,184 improve Mill to mill relations about 90 00:03:26,184 --> 00:03:29,789 the presidency . Um What has uh the 91 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,649 secretary communicated as far as what 92 00:03:32,660 --> 00:03:35,250 would be a basically a good deliverable 93 00:03:35,259 --> 00:03:38,410 to um help restart this relationship ? 94 00:03:38,509 --> 00:03:40,620 Well , as you mentioned , this is the 95 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:42,731 president is leading the summit which 96 00:03:42,731 --> 00:03:44,676 is starting um tomorrow . And so I 97 00:03:44,676 --> 00:03:46,842 don't wanna get ahead of anything that 98 00:03:46,842 --> 00:03:48,842 the president might announce or any 99 00:03:48,842 --> 00:03:50,898 outcomes from that summit . Um We've 100 00:03:50,898 --> 00:03:53,009 stressed from the very beginning that 101 00:03:53,009 --> 00:03:54,770 we believe Mill to mill cooper 102 00:03:54,779 --> 00:03:57,001 operation coordinations , communication 103 00:03:57,001 --> 00:04:00,214 is important . Um Right now , the PR C 104 00:04:00,225 --> 00:04:02,554 does not have a National Defense or a 105 00:04:02,565 --> 00:04:05,154 Minister of Defense . Um And so at the 106 00:04:05,164 --> 00:04:08,255 80 AM plus that the secret is at um and 107 00:04:08,264 --> 00:04:10,375 starting tomorrow , we don't have any 108 00:04:10,375 --> 00:04:12,597 indication that there will be a meeting 109 00:04:12,597 --> 00:04:14,764 uh happening between the secretary and 110 00:04:14,764 --> 00:04:17,195 his non designated PR C counterpart yet . 111 00:04:17,468 --> 00:04:19,412 Um , so there are no plans for the 112 00:04:19,412 --> 00:04:21,468 secretary to sit down with anyone at 113 00:04:21,468 --> 00:04:23,524 this point . But again , I'd let the 114 00:04:23,524 --> 00:04:25,412 President's , uh , meeting that's 115 00:04:25,412 --> 00:04:27,635 happening tomorrow . Uh , I don't wanna 116 00:04:27,635 --> 00:04:29,857 get ahead of that . Just one last . Can 117 00:04:29,857 --> 00:04:31,746 you characterize the state of the 118 00:04:31,746 --> 00:04:31,248 relationship right ? Now ? Are there 119 00:04:31,259 --> 00:04:33,370 any conversations going on ? Any sort 120 00:04:33,370 --> 00:04:35,537 of deconfliction line talks ? Are they 121 00:04:35,537 --> 00:04:37,815 picking up at all ? Are we even trying ? 122 00:04:38,098 --> 00:04:40,154 Um , I mean , we continue to be both 123 00:04:40,429 --> 00:04:43,029 publicly and privately uh continue to 124 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:45,970 engage with the PR C . Um We are 125 00:04:45,980 --> 00:04:48,390 certainly committed to having an open 126 00:04:48,399 --> 00:04:50,750 line of communication and mill to mill 127 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:53,290 communications uh with the PR C but we 128 00:04:53,299 --> 00:04:55,410 just haven't had that reciprocated um 129 00:04:55,420 --> 00:04:57,980 from their end , Jen . Yeah , Sabrina 130 00:04:57,989 --> 00:05:01,119 about a week ago , uh Iranian backed 131 00:05:01,130 --> 00:05:03,408 Houthis downed an MQ nine Reaper drone . 132 00:05:03,408 --> 00:05:07,040 A US drone , $32 million drone . So far 133 00:05:07,049 --> 00:05:09,565 there's been no response by the US and 134 00:05:09,575 --> 00:05:11,686 the Houthis are saying that they will 135 00:05:11,704 --> 00:05:13,904 uh threaten Israeli ships in the Red 136 00:05:13,915 --> 00:05:16,774 Sea . Isn't the lack of response by the 137 00:05:16,785 --> 00:05:19,875 US military inviting uh more actions , 138 00:05:19,885 --> 00:05:21,885 aggressive actions by the Houthis . 139 00:05:21,885 --> 00:05:24,163 Yeah . Thanks Jen for the question . I , 140 00:05:24,163 --> 00:05:26,218 I wouldn't say that it's inviting um 141 00:05:26,218 --> 00:05:28,994 more aggressive or uh for the response 142 00:05:29,005 --> 00:05:30,894 from the Houthis . We've seen the 143 00:05:30,894 --> 00:05:33,204 Houthis do this before . We've seen um 144 00:05:33,214 --> 00:05:35,274 our , one of our MQ nines shot down 145 00:05:35,285 --> 00:05:38,059 before in the past . Um I'm not saying 146 00:05:38,070 --> 00:05:40,126 that we're not going to respond . We 147 00:05:40,126 --> 00:05:42,292 always reserve the right to respond at 148 00:05:42,292 --> 00:05:44,459 a time and place of our choosing . But 149 00:05:44,459 --> 00:05:44,380 um I just don't have anything to 150 00:05:44,390 --> 00:05:46,501 forecast for you right now . I mean , 151 00:05:46,501 --> 00:05:48,929 as , you know , our main goal is to 152 00:05:49,660 --> 00:05:51,827 contain and to make sure this conflict 153 00:05:51,827 --> 00:05:54,839 is contained within Gaza . Um right now , 154 00:05:54,850 --> 00:05:56,850 that's where we see it , we see the 155 00:05:56,850 --> 00:05:58,906 conflict remaining within Israel and 156 00:05:58,906 --> 00:06:01,183 Gaza and between Israel and Hamas . So , 157 00:06:01,183 --> 00:06:03,890 um as of to date , you know , I , I'm 158 00:06:03,899 --> 00:06:06,066 not going to broadcast any response or 159 00:06:06,066 --> 00:06:08,121 for or , you know , get ahead of any 160 00:06:08,121 --> 00:06:10,066 response that the secretary or the 161 00:06:10,066 --> 00:06:12,288 President might want to take . Um , but 162 00:06:12,288 --> 00:06:14,455 I think we've been pretty clear in our 163 00:06:14,455 --> 00:06:14,450 message when it comes to deterrence and 164 00:06:14,459 --> 00:06:16,792 we haven't seen this conflict widen out . 165 00:06:16,792 --> 00:06:18,959 You're not deterring the Houthis , the 166 00:06:18,959 --> 00:06:21,181 Houthis are continuing to fire missiles 167 00:06:21,181 --> 00:06:23,126 toward a lot . They're threatening 168 00:06:23,126 --> 00:06:25,348 ships . Now , I don't understand , um , 169 00:06:25,348 --> 00:06:27,181 how a deterrent message is being 170 00:06:27,181 --> 00:06:29,403 received by the houthis if feel there's 171 00:06:29,403 --> 00:06:31,292 no response to Downing an MQ nine 172 00:06:31,292 --> 00:06:33,348 Reaper . Well , you have to remember 173 00:06:33,348 --> 00:06:35,459 that , um , one of our ships did take 174 00:06:35,459 --> 00:06:37,737 action when the Houthis um did fire um , 175 00:06:37,737 --> 00:06:39,903 missiles that were , you know , headed 176 00:06:39,903 --> 00:06:42,070 towards Israel . We did engage in that 177 00:06:42,070 --> 00:06:44,181 we did bring those down . Again , I'm 178 00:06:44,181 --> 00:06:45,903 not gonna get ahead of any , I 179 00:06:45,903 --> 00:06:48,070 understand , but again , I'm not gonna 180 00:06:48,070 --> 00:06:49,903 get ahead of any action that the 181 00:06:49,903 --> 00:06:52,015 secretary or the President may or may 182 00:06:52,015 --> 00:06:54,126 not take . Um , we have a very robust 183 00:06:54,126 --> 00:06:56,325 presence in the region right now . Um 184 00:06:56,334 --> 00:06:58,556 that is sending , I think a very strong 185 00:06:58,556 --> 00:07:00,445 message of deterrence and while I 186 00:07:00,445 --> 00:07:02,612 certainly hear your question , um we , 187 00:07:02,612 --> 00:07:04,778 we always reserve the right to respond 188 00:07:04,778 --> 00:07:06,890 at a time and place of our choosing . 189 00:07:06,890 --> 00:07:09,001 Yeah , thank you , Sabrina . I have a 190 00:07:09,001 --> 00:07:11,001 question and then a follow up on an 191 00:07:11,001 --> 00:07:12,945 earlier question . Um There's some 192 00:07:12,945 --> 00:07:15,890 reports in Arabic language media today . 193 00:07:15,899 --> 00:07:18,309 Um Some eyewitness accounts from Gaza 194 00:07:18,730 --> 00:07:20,952 where witnesses are saying that they've 195 00:07:20,952 --> 00:07:23,008 seen troops speaking English to each 196 00:07:23,008 --> 00:07:25,174 other and with American flags on their 197 00:07:25,174 --> 00:07:27,269 uniform . Can you give us an update 198 00:07:27,279 --> 00:07:29,869 generally on what us forces are doing 199 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,047 currently in Israel ? And specifically 200 00:07:32,047 --> 00:07:36,000 can you respond to this ? I don't know , 201 00:07:36,029 --> 00:07:38,085 I don't want to call it a claim that 202 00:07:38,085 --> 00:07:40,140 there's potentially us troops on the 203 00:07:40,140 --> 00:07:42,609 ground in Gaza . Well , I can , I can't 204 00:07:42,619 --> 00:07:44,563 respond to that specific claim . I 205 00:07:44,563 --> 00:07:46,675 haven't seen it . But what I can tell 206 00:07:46,675 --> 00:07:48,786 you is that there are no US forces on 207 00:07:48,786 --> 00:07:50,897 the ground in Gaza . Oh , I'm sorry . 208 00:07:51,470 --> 00:07:53,414 And then just to follow up on that 209 00:07:53,414 --> 00:07:55,526 earlier um point with the Chinese and 210 00:07:55,526 --> 00:07:57,581 the US military communications , you 211 00:07:57,581 --> 00:07:59,359 said that there hasn't been any 212 00:07:59,359 --> 00:08:01,414 reciprocation ? Now , does that date 213 00:08:01,414 --> 00:08:03,414 back to the Pelosi visit in 2022 or 214 00:08:03,414 --> 00:08:05,470 when was the last time there was any 215 00:08:05,470 --> 00:08:08,339 reciprocal communication ? I would have 216 00:08:08,350 --> 00:08:10,517 to take that question in terms of when 217 00:08:10,517 --> 00:08:12,683 the last time there was a mill to mill 218 00:08:12,683 --> 00:08:14,609 communication . Um I mean , the 219 00:08:14,619 --> 00:08:16,720 secretary has not engaged with his 220 00:08:16,730 --> 00:08:18,897 counterpart . And as you know , that's 221 00:08:18,897 --> 00:08:21,880 that position is vacant around um the 222 00:08:21,890 --> 00:08:23,946 speaker's visit , I'm not aware that 223 00:08:23,946 --> 00:08:26,168 there were , you know , commu locations 224 00:08:26,168 --> 00:08:28,200 on going with the PR C . But it's 225 00:08:28,209 --> 00:08:30,431 something that I can take that question 226 00:08:30,431 --> 00:08:32,765 and , and get back to you on that Carla , 227 00:08:32,765 --> 00:08:34,987 thanks back to the attacks on us forces 228 00:08:34,987 --> 00:08:36,820 in Iraq and Syria , I have three 229 00:08:36,820 --> 00:08:39,140 questions . First . Will the Pentagon 230 00:08:39,150 --> 00:08:41,140 acknowledge that deterrence is not 231 00:08:41,150 --> 00:08:44,010 working with Iran ? Second , why is the 232 00:08:44,020 --> 00:08:47,000 US not hitting targets in Iraq when it 233 00:08:47,010 --> 00:08:49,177 has been proven that there are weapons 234 00:08:49,177 --> 00:08:51,066 facilities and weapons being used 235 00:08:51,066 --> 00:08:53,121 against us forces in Iraq ? And then 236 00:08:53,121 --> 00:08:55,570 third , does this building feel an 237 00:08:55,580 --> 00:08:58,049 obligation to strike any and all 238 00:08:58,059 --> 00:09:00,003 Iranian weapons and Iranian backed 239 00:09:00,003 --> 00:09:02,115 weapons storage facilities to protect 240 00:09:02,115 --> 00:09:04,440 its forces in Iraq and Syria ? So many 241 00:09:04,450 --> 00:09:06,617 questions . Uh ok , so starting at the 242 00:09:06,617 --> 00:09:08,728 beginning , your first question was , 243 00:09:08,728 --> 00:09:10,894 do we think deterrence has failed ? Is 244 00:09:10,894 --> 00:09:13,117 that , was that , am I summarizing that 245 00:09:13,117 --> 00:09:14,950 knowledge that deterrence is not 246 00:09:14,950 --> 00:09:17,010 working when it comes to Iran ? So 247 00:09:17,030 --> 00:09:19,679 again , Carla , this war , we want to 248 00:09:19,690 --> 00:09:23,380 see contained to Israel and within 249 00:09:23,390 --> 00:09:25,830 Gaza , we do not want to see a wider 250 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:29,239 regional conflict as of today that has 251 00:09:29,250 --> 00:09:31,306 not happened . We have not seen this 252 00:09:31,306 --> 00:09:33,650 war spill over into other neighboring 253 00:09:33,659 --> 00:09:36,219 countries and into the region in terms 254 00:09:36,229 --> 00:09:38,679 of attacks on our troops . Separate 255 00:09:38,690 --> 00:09:42,250 issue . We are in Syria and Iraq um 256 00:09:43,119 --> 00:09:46,500 for our mission to defeat ISIS , we 257 00:09:46,510 --> 00:09:49,669 have seen Iran and Iran proxy groups 258 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,510 continue to attack us forces because we 259 00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:54,576 know Iran doesn't want us there . We 260 00:09:54,576 --> 00:09:56,919 know Iran does not want to see us 261 00:09:56,929 --> 00:09:59,096 forces on the ground and in the region 262 00:09:59,096 --> 00:10:01,318 frankly . Um And so we saw this back in 263 00:10:01,318 --> 00:10:03,373 March . We've seen this before where 264 00:10:03,373 --> 00:10:05,820 they attack our forces on the issue of 265 00:10:05,830 --> 00:10:08,710 deterrence . Just taking a spec a step 266 00:10:08,719 --> 00:10:11,469 back is deterrence working . We feel 267 00:10:11,479 --> 00:10:13,729 that it is , we have not seen this war 268 00:10:13,739 --> 00:10:16,059 spread into a wider regional conflict . 269 00:10:16,239 --> 00:10:19,619 Um We have responded with , um , 270 00:10:19,630 --> 00:10:22,150 the , uh , we responded , we , we 271 00:10:22,159 --> 00:10:24,580 conducted three different strikes . Um , 272 00:10:24,590 --> 00:10:26,940 we responded most recently this weekend 273 00:10:27,150 --> 00:10:29,317 and again , we will always reserve the 274 00:10:29,317 --> 00:10:31,549 right to respond um , at a time and 275 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:33,670 place of our choosing in the future , 276 00:10:35,510 --> 00:10:38,049 the strikes that happened that we've 277 00:10:38,059 --> 00:10:40,409 done three rounds . Now they're not to 278 00:10:40,419 --> 00:10:42,586 prevent attacks on us . Forces in Iraq 279 00:10:42,586 --> 00:10:44,308 and Syria , they're to prevent 280 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,890 escalation of the conflict , I think to 281 00:10:47,900 --> 00:10:50,330 prevent the strikes against us forces 282 00:10:50,340 --> 00:10:52,507 in Iraq and Syria , I guess I'm trying 283 00:10:52,507 --> 00:10:54,729 to understand . So the attacks that are 284 00:10:54,729 --> 00:10:56,784 the strikes that we are taking is to 285 00:10:56,784 --> 00:10:58,951 signal and to message very strongly to 286 00:10:58,951 --> 00:11:00,840 Iran and their , their affiliated 287 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,405 groups to stop . That is the purpose of 288 00:11:04,414 --> 00:11:06,614 those strikes . And we are seeing 289 00:11:07,494 --> 00:11:09,216 because they keep striking . I 290 00:11:09,216 --> 00:11:11,327 understand that . But again , I think 291 00:11:11,327 --> 00:11:14,284 we are being very deliberate on how and 292 00:11:14,294 --> 00:11:17,664 when we conduct our , um , our strikes 293 00:11:17,674 --> 00:11:19,785 against these groups and I think that 294 00:11:19,785 --> 00:11:22,520 Iran is certainly seeing that message 295 00:11:22,530 --> 00:11:24,586 and I'm sorry , I don't remember you 296 00:11:24,586 --> 00:11:26,808 had a third question . So why is the US 297 00:11:26,808 --> 00:11:28,974 not hitting targets in Iraq ? And does 298 00:11:28,974 --> 00:11:30,974 this building feel an obligation to 299 00:11:30,974 --> 00:11:33,141 strike weapons facilities if they know 300 00:11:33,141 --> 00:11:35,252 that they're there to prevent attacks 301 00:11:35,252 --> 00:11:34,940 on us ? Service members in Syria and 302 00:11:34,950 --> 00:11:37,320 Iraq ? So in terms of why we aren't 303 00:11:37,330 --> 00:11:39,330 hitting where we're hitting , we're 304 00:11:39,330 --> 00:11:41,330 hitting places where we feel we can 305 00:11:41,330 --> 00:11:44,650 make the most impact . And just this 306 00:11:44,659 --> 00:11:46,603 week and you saw us hit a training 307 00:11:46,603 --> 00:11:48,603 facility and a safe house that also 308 00:11:48,603 --> 00:11:51,090 operates as a headquarters node . Um , 309 00:11:51,099 --> 00:11:53,760 so we feel very confident in , you know , 310 00:11:53,770 --> 00:11:56,159 the targeting and the precision of 311 00:11:56,169 --> 00:11:58,336 these strikes and just because they're 312 00:11:58,336 --> 00:12:00,336 in Syria does not mean that they're 313 00:12:00,336 --> 00:12:02,479 disrupting um access to weapons , 314 00:12:02,489 --> 00:12:04,378 access to capabilities that these 315 00:12:04,378 --> 00:12:06,489 groups have in Iraq . And I'm sorry , 316 00:12:06,489 --> 00:12:08,711 your third part , your third question , 317 00:12:08,711 --> 00:12:10,989 you kind of , you kind of explained it . 318 00:12:10,989 --> 00:12:13,590 I was if you know of a facility that 319 00:12:13,599 --> 00:12:16,309 has weapons , do you feel , does this 320 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,153 building feel that they have the 321 00:12:18,153 --> 00:12:20,750 obligation to strike it to prevent 322 00:12:21,299 --> 00:12:23,710 enemies from using those weapons to 323 00:12:23,719 --> 00:12:26,609 target us forces as they have done on a 324 00:12:26,619 --> 00:12:28,786 daily basis ? Well , I think as you've 325 00:12:28,786 --> 00:12:30,989 seen , we've taken action , we've hit 326 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,944 weapon storage facilities and it's 327 00:12:32,944 --> 00:12:35,000 important to remember the facilities 328 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,111 that we hit are now destroyed . These 329 00:12:37,111 --> 00:12:38,833 groups cannot go back to these 330 00:12:38,833 --> 00:12:41,056 facilities and take weapons out because 331 00:12:41,056 --> 00:12:43,056 they're gone So we feel that we are 332 00:12:43,056 --> 00:12:45,167 being very precise with our targeting 333 00:12:45,167 --> 00:12:48,359 and um ensuring that we can inflict the 334 00:12:48,369 --> 00:12:51,789 most damage to the these groups and 335 00:12:51,799 --> 00:12:55,760 their , their capabilities . Yeah . Um 336 00:12:55,830 --> 00:12:58,510 So Jo Ryder said exactly two weeks ago 337 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:00,880 that the mechanism by which the US is 338 00:13:00,890 --> 00:13:03,112 providing military assistance to Israel 339 00:13:03,112 --> 00:13:05,334 is different from a legal and budgetary 340 00:13:05,334 --> 00:13:07,112 standpoint in comparison to the 341 00:13:07,112 --> 00:13:09,168 military assistance to Ukraine . How 342 00:13:09,169 --> 00:13:12,130 and why and also what's the figure 343 00:13:12,250 --> 00:13:14,306 we're talking about here in military 344 00:13:14,306 --> 00:13:16,472 assistance to Israel ? Like millions , 345 00:13:16,472 --> 00:13:18,528 billions , tens of billions . What , 346 00:13:18,528 --> 00:13:20,472 what , what is it ? Yeah , no . So 347 00:13:20,472 --> 00:13:22,694 thank you so much for the question . So 348 00:13:22,694 --> 00:13:25,028 in terms of um what general writer said , 349 00:13:25,028 --> 00:13:24,979 I don't have much more of an update to 350 00:13:24,989 --> 00:13:28,929 provide you in terms of um how 351 00:13:28,940 --> 00:13:31,130 like the dollar amount right now . Um 352 00:13:31,140 --> 00:13:33,409 What I can tell you is we are providing 353 00:13:33,419 --> 00:13:35,308 assistance to Israel through very 354 00:13:35,308 --> 00:13:37,141 different mechanisms than how we 355 00:13:37,141 --> 00:13:39,086 provide assistance to Ukraine . So 356 00:13:39,086 --> 00:13:41,308 Ukraine , you're seeing the PDAs or the 357 00:13:41,308 --> 00:13:43,419 USA . I um draw down authorities that 358 00:13:43,419 --> 00:13:45,641 we are using . Israel is mainly through 359 00:13:45,641 --> 00:13:48,690 F MS FMF and then direct contracting 360 00:13:48,700 --> 00:13:51,840 that Israel does with um uh private 361 00:13:51,849 --> 00:13:54,340 commercial companies . Um So again , II 362 00:13:54,349 --> 00:13:56,571 I don't have that amount in front of me 363 00:13:56,571 --> 00:13:58,793 right now . But the mechanisms of which 364 00:13:58,793 --> 00:14:00,682 we are providing aid to Israel is 365 00:14:00,682 --> 00:14:03,940 different from Ukraine . Get into why 366 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:06,167 that mechanism has been preferred over 367 00:14:06,167 --> 00:14:07,944 the other mechanism that's been 368 00:14:07,944 --> 00:14:10,111 provided to Ukraine is like a specific 369 00:14:10,111 --> 00:14:12,278 reason , different country , different 370 00:14:12,278 --> 00:14:14,333 mechanisms , different relationships 371 00:14:14,333 --> 00:14:16,611 that we have with each country . Again , 372 00:14:16,611 --> 00:14:18,778 Israel had at the before October 7th , 373 00:14:18,778 --> 00:14:22,265 a very capable professional military . 374 00:14:22,455 --> 00:14:25,044 Ukraine was , is building up to being a 375 00:14:25,054 --> 00:14:27,625 very capable fighting force in their , 376 00:14:27,635 --> 00:14:29,802 you know , counter offensive and since 377 00:14:29,802 --> 00:14:31,691 they were attacked in February of 378 00:14:32,190 --> 00:14:34,289 almost two years ago , um but they 379 00:14:34,299 --> 00:14:36,355 needed Ukraine needed the support to 380 00:14:36,355 --> 00:14:38,466 build up their military that Israel , 381 00:14:38,466 --> 00:14:40,929 you know , already had . Um So again , 382 00:14:40,940 --> 00:14:42,996 the funding mechanisms and how we're 383 00:14:42,996 --> 00:14:44,773 supplying aid . It's , it's two 384 00:14:44,773 --> 00:14:46,773 different countries , two different 385 00:14:46,773 --> 00:14:48,884 wars and , and again , you know , two 386 00:14:48,884 --> 00:14:50,996 different areas of responsibilities . 387 00:14:50,996 --> 00:14:53,107 So it's , it's a little different . I 388 00:14:53,107 --> 00:14:55,329 haven't heard any figure . Do you think 389 00:14:55,329 --> 00:14:57,496 we're going to be able to , you know , 390 00:14:57,496 --> 00:14:59,607 find out how much military assistance 391 00:14:59,607 --> 00:15:01,662 has been provided to Israel ? Yeah , 392 00:15:01,662 --> 00:15:01,580 it's something that we are , we are . 393 00:15:01,590 --> 00:15:03,812 Of course , I know general writer spoke 394 00:15:03,812 --> 00:15:06,034 to this is something that we're working 395 00:15:06,034 --> 00:15:05,859 towards . I just don't have that right 396 00:15:05,869 --> 00:15:07,549 here at this moment . Yes . 397 00:15:11,340 --> 00:15:13,770 Said that it was above Yemeni territory . 398 00:15:14,549 --> 00:15:16,979 So can you , I know you said that it 399 00:15:17,039 --> 00:15:20,940 was an air , still stand by 400 00:15:21,109 --> 00:15:23,320 that . Yes . The MQ nine was operating 401 00:15:23,330 --> 00:15:25,441 in international airspace when it was 402 00:15:25,441 --> 00:15:25,210 shot down . 403 00:15:30,580 --> 00:15:33,080 Um I believe it just wasn't going to be 404 00:15:33,090 --> 00:15:35,590 salvageable at that point . Um We know 405 00:15:35,599 --> 00:15:37,960 that the Houthis did make an attempt to 406 00:15:37,969 --> 00:15:40,191 try and salvage um some of the remnants 407 00:15:40,191 --> 00:15:42,469 and they also were not successful . So , 408 00:15:42,469 --> 00:15:46,099 um it just wasn't salvageable at that 409 00:15:46,109 --> 00:15:49,580 point on military assistance to Israel . 410 00:15:50,130 --> 00:15:51,960 We've seen uh the targeting of 411 00:15:51,969 --> 00:15:53,858 civilians and journalists in Gaza 412 00:15:56,070 --> 00:15:57,959 that has uh well , that's quite , 413 00:15:57,959 --> 00:16:01,780 that's quite a ring to my . It's um , 414 00:16:02,390 --> 00:16:05,289 it's also expanded beyond those borders . 415 00:16:05,299 --> 00:16:07,710 Yesterday , there was a um a group of 416 00:16:07,719 --> 00:16:09,775 Lebanese journalists targeted in the 417 00:16:09,775 --> 00:16:11,941 southern part of that country . Um The 418 00:16:11,941 --> 00:16:14,108 reporter said that they had coordinate 419 00:16:14,108 --> 00:16:15,997 that trip with the Lebanese armed 420 00:16:15,997 --> 00:16:18,219 forces and the un peacekeeping force in 421 00:16:18,219 --> 00:16:20,441 Lebanon . So uh this came about a month 422 00:16:20,441 --> 00:16:22,663 after a Reuters journalist was killed . 423 00:16:22,663 --> 00:16:24,690 They also say that was done by as a 424 00:16:24,700 --> 00:16:26,922 result of an Israeli strike . So what , 425 00:16:26,922 --> 00:16:29,089 what's the Pentagon doing to ensure or 426 00:16:29,089 --> 00:16:31,200 push the Israeli military on this aid 427 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,311 that it's providing to make sure that 428 00:16:33,311 --> 00:16:35,144 it's not targeting civilians and 429 00:16:35,144 --> 00:16:34,909 specifically journalists ? Well , we 430 00:16:34,919 --> 00:16:37,030 certainly , I mean , we , I think you 431 00:16:37,030 --> 00:16:38,752 asked me this last time , I'll 432 00:16:38,752 --> 00:16:41,034 reiterate that we believe that freedom 433 00:16:41,044 --> 00:16:43,635 of the press and um protection of 434 00:16:43,645 --> 00:16:45,478 innocent civilians is incredibly 435 00:16:45,478 --> 00:16:47,256 important during this time . Um 436 00:16:47,256 --> 00:16:49,478 incredibly important when people are on 437 00:16:49,478 --> 00:16:51,645 the ground in Gaza reporting on what's 438 00:16:51,645 --> 00:16:53,756 happening on the ground . And then as 439 00:16:53,756 --> 00:16:55,701 you mentioned , I think it was you 440 00:16:55,701 --> 00:16:57,867 referenced Lebanon where some of these 441 00:16:57,867 --> 00:16:59,978 journals , journalists were stationed 442 00:16:59,978 --> 00:17:01,923 again , you know , we are going to 443 00:17:01,923 --> 00:17:05,819 continue to urge um for Israel to 444 00:17:05,829 --> 00:17:08,540 continue to uphold the laws of armed 445 00:17:08,550 --> 00:17:12,030 conflict , humanitarian laws . Um And 446 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:14,500 again , we know that this is an 447 00:17:14,510 --> 00:17:18,260 incredible um uh I don't know , 448 00:17:18,270 --> 00:17:20,270 burden is not the right word but uh 449 00:17:20,270 --> 00:17:22,381 toll that it takes for journalists to 450 00:17:22,381 --> 00:17:24,492 cover these , what's happening on the 451 00:17:24,492 --> 00:17:26,548 ground and it's incredibly important 452 00:17:26,548 --> 00:17:28,770 that their safety is protected . Yeah , 453 00:17:28,810 --> 00:17:30,859 in the back . Yeah . So a two part 454 00:17:30,869 --> 00:17:32,980 question the president said yesterday 455 00:17:32,980 --> 00:17:34,702 that hospitals in Gaza must be 456 00:17:34,702 --> 00:17:37,209 protected . Um Is the US telling Israel 457 00:17:37,219 --> 00:17:39,441 not to attack hospitals or to shift the 458 00:17:39,441 --> 00:17:41,497 way it is operating at these sites ? 459 00:17:41,497 --> 00:17:43,663 And then second , um , do you have any 460 00:17:43,663 --> 00:17:45,608 conclusive intelligence that these 461 00:17:45,608 --> 00:17:47,497 hospitals are legitimate military 462 00:17:47,497 --> 00:17:50,050 targets ? So we've been very clear with , 463 00:17:50,060 --> 00:17:52,589 um , I think you've seen in the 464 00:17:52,599 --> 00:17:54,599 readouts that the secretary has had 465 00:17:54,599 --> 00:17:57,260 with Mr Gallant that we believe that um , 466 00:17:57,270 --> 00:18:00,239 the protection of innocent civilians is , 467 00:18:00,619 --> 00:18:02,786 of course , not only a priority but it 468 00:18:02,786 --> 00:18:05,630 must be upheld . Um And so you've seen 469 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,751 in our readouts time and time again , 470 00:18:07,751 --> 00:18:09,807 that is something that the secretary 471 00:18:09,807 --> 00:18:11,862 continues to emphasize with Minister 472 00:18:11,862 --> 00:18:13,751 Gallant in all of his calls . And 473 00:18:13,751 --> 00:18:15,918 you've seen that from , from the , not 474 00:18:15,918 --> 00:18:18,084 just this department , but across this 475 00:18:18,084 --> 00:18:20,196 administration , I think what , um uh 476 00:18:20,196 --> 00:18:22,510 Jake Sullivan said yesterday is exactly 477 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,109 what we keep reiterating to um , our 478 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:27,230 Israeli counterparts is that we don't 479 00:18:27,230 --> 00:18:29,452 want to see a firefight in a hospital . 480 00:18:29,452 --> 00:18:31,508 We absolutely believe that hospitals 481 00:18:31,508 --> 00:18:33,619 should be places where people seeking 482 00:18:33,619 --> 00:18:37,349 medical treatment , um , and 483 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:39,880 attention need to be , and those places 484 00:18:39,890 --> 00:18:42,119 should be protected . But you have to 485 00:18:42,130 --> 00:18:45,849 remember that and you know , we do have 486 00:18:45,859 --> 00:18:49,089 information that Hamas and the 487 00:18:49,099 --> 00:18:52,010 Palestinian Islamic Jihad uses some 488 00:18:52,020 --> 00:18:54,689 hospitals in the Gaza Strip including 489 00:18:54,699 --> 00:18:58,609 the Al Shifa Hospital um as a way 490 00:18:58,619 --> 00:19:00,730 to conceal and support their military 491 00:19:00,730 --> 00:19:02,730 operations and hold hostages . They 492 00:19:02,730 --> 00:19:05,063 have tunnels underneath these hospitals . 493 00:19:05,063 --> 00:19:08,030 And so Hamas and Pij members operate a 494 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:10,250 command and control node from Al Shifa 495 00:19:10,260 --> 00:19:12,359 Hospital in Gaza City . They have 496 00:19:12,369 --> 00:19:15,050 weapons stored there and are prepared 497 00:19:15,060 --> 00:19:16,949 to respond to an Israeli military 498 00:19:16,949 --> 00:19:19,050 operation against the facility . So 499 00:19:19,060 --> 00:19:22,550 this is I'm just telling you what we as 500 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:25,810 the um intelligence community assesses 501 00:19:25,819 --> 00:19:28,089 is happening in Gaza City , how Hamas 502 00:19:28,099 --> 00:19:30,210 is using these hospitals to operate ? 503 00:19:30,829 --> 00:19:33,250 But absolutely , we do not want to see 504 00:19:33,260 --> 00:19:35,371 a firefight in a hospital where there 505 00:19:35,371 --> 00:19:38,819 are innocent civilians have 506 00:19:39,209 --> 00:19:41,439 any forces on the ground , right ? So I 507 00:19:41,449 --> 00:19:43,671 take it this intelligence assessment is 508 00:19:43,671 --> 00:19:45,838 gathered based on information provided 509 00:19:45,838 --> 00:19:48,119 by Israel . Sorry , this what I just 510 00:19:48,130 --> 00:19:50,241 read out that's from our intelligence 511 00:19:50,241 --> 00:19:52,650 community . Did you have any assets 512 00:19:52,660 --> 00:19:56,050 inside Gaza ? No assets or boots on the 513 00:19:56,060 --> 00:19:59,180 ground in Gaza ? There's no gathering 514 00:19:59,319 --> 00:20:01,920 on the ground about this . That's all . 515 00:20:02,199 --> 00:20:03,977 So you have no one entering the 516 00:20:03,977 --> 00:20:06,300 hospitals to verify this information , 517 00:20:06,310 --> 00:20:08,439 right ? We have no one , we have no 518 00:20:08,449 --> 00:20:11,130 boots on the ground in Gaza . How was 519 00:20:11,140 --> 00:20:13,989 that assessment ? You know , how did 520 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,111 you conclude that assessment based on 521 00:20:16,111 --> 00:20:18,278 information received from your Israeli 522 00:20:18,278 --> 00:20:20,444 counterparts ? Well , I'm not going to 523 00:20:20,444 --> 00:20:22,389 get into more specifics on how our 524 00:20:22,389 --> 00:20:24,556 intelligence is collected . What I can 525 00:20:24,556 --> 00:20:26,778 tell you is there are multiple agencies 526 00:20:26,778 --> 00:20:28,444 as you know , here within the 527 00:20:28,444 --> 00:20:28,089 department and across the 528 00:20:28,099 --> 00:20:30,540 administration , multiple agencies that 529 00:20:30,569 --> 00:20:33,160 collect and assess and analyze 530 00:20:33,170 --> 00:20:35,337 intelligence . But I'm not going to go 531 00:20:35,337 --> 00:20:37,392 into any further details on how that 532 00:20:37,392 --> 00:20:39,930 intelligence is gathered . You have no 533 00:20:39,939 --> 00:20:42,579 assets on the ground or assets entering 534 00:20:42,589 --> 00:20:44,530 into these hospitals to basically 535 00:20:44,540 --> 00:20:46,818 confirm the information you're sharing . 536 00:20:46,818 --> 00:20:48,984 I will say it again . We have no boots 537 00:20:48,984 --> 00:20:51,207 on the ground in Gaza , I'm sorry , Jar 538 00:20:51,207 --> 00:20:53,207 and then I'll come back to you . Um 539 00:20:53,207 --> 00:20:55,520 What you just read that sounds 540 00:20:55,530 --> 00:20:57,752 different than what it's more expensive 541 00:20:57,752 --> 00:20:59,919 than what Mr Sullivan said yesterday . 542 00:20:59,919 --> 00:21:01,974 So uh am I correct in saying this is 543 00:21:02,430 --> 00:21:04,597 new information that you are providing 544 00:21:04,599 --> 00:21:07,660 to us new language that is being 545 00:21:07,670 --> 00:21:09,448 assessed by the US intelligence 546 00:21:09,448 --> 00:21:11,503 community . This is newly downgraded 547 00:21:11,503 --> 00:21:13,670 information that we felt was important 548 00:21:13,670 --> 00:21:15,670 to get out today . Um because there 549 00:21:15,670 --> 00:21:17,837 have been a lot of questions about the 550 00:21:17,837 --> 00:21:19,948 hospital and how Hamas operates . And 551 00:21:19,948 --> 00:21:22,349 so it was important that um uh 552 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:24,699 important to , to get out there for , 553 00:21:24,709 --> 00:21:26,931 for you all and to clarify on questions 554 00:21:26,931 --> 00:21:29,170 here . So this is an independent US 555 00:21:29,180 --> 00:21:32,250 assessment separate from the Israeli um 556 00:21:32,260 --> 00:21:34,038 their own assessment or is this 557 00:21:34,038 --> 00:21:36,149 information that they provided to you 558 00:21:36,149 --> 00:21:38,149 that then you've analyzed , I'm not 559 00:21:38,149 --> 00:21:37,569 just not going to get into more 560 00:21:37,579 --> 00:21:39,690 specifics on the intelligence , I can 561 00:21:39,690 --> 00:21:41,857 tell you that this is information that 562 00:21:41,857 --> 00:21:43,857 was downgraded and collected by the 563 00:21:43,857 --> 00:21:46,989 intelligence community . Yeah . What do 564 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,722 you mean downgraded ? You mean 565 00:21:48,722 --> 00:21:50,833 declassified , declassified . I can't 566 00:21:50,833 --> 00:21:52,778 say whether this , any of this was 567 00:21:52,778 --> 00:21:54,833 independently , I'm not going to get 568 00:21:54,833 --> 00:21:57,000 into how or where this intelligence is 569 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:58,889 coming from . This is done by our 570 00:21:58,889 --> 00:22:01,209 intelligence community . Um It was put 571 00:22:01,219 --> 00:22:03,859 together and downgraded so you can , 572 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,222 you know , have a better idea of what's 573 00:22:06,222 --> 00:22:08,389 happening on the ground . Can I just , 574 00:22:08,389 --> 00:22:10,444 I think , well , you think he wasn't 575 00:22:10,444 --> 00:22:12,556 done yet ? I'm sorry on the subject . 576 00:22:13,469 --> 00:22:16,290 Go ahead . Just the level of confidence . 577 00:22:16,300 --> 00:22:18,979 Usually you , when intelligence shares 578 00:22:18,989 --> 00:22:21,739 some information or declassify , you 579 00:22:21,750 --> 00:22:23,861 talk about , I'm not going to go into 580 00:22:23,861 --> 00:22:27,089 the , the , the assessment of how we 581 00:22:27,099 --> 00:22:29,209 feel . I'm just telling you what the 582 00:22:29,219 --> 00:22:32,859 intelligence community has been able to 583 00:22:32,869 --> 00:22:36,219 declassify today and how we've , I mean , 584 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,253 the fact that I'm reading it out to you , 585 00:22:39,253 --> 00:22:41,420 we feel very confident in our sourcing 586 00:22:41,420 --> 00:22:43,642 and what the intelligence community has 587 00:22:43,642 --> 00:22:45,642 gathered on this topic . Um But I'm 588 00:22:45,642 --> 00:22:47,753 just not gonna go into more specifics 589 00:22:47,753 --> 00:22:49,976 on the intel itself . So you had a high 590 00:22:49,976 --> 00:22:52,198 level of confidence because you said we 591 00:22:52,198 --> 00:22:51,910 are very confident . I'm saying I'm 592 00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:54,031 confident reading it to you from this 593 00:22:54,031 --> 00:22:56,099 podium today in our assessment . Did 594 00:22:56,109 --> 00:22:58,220 you have one more question ? Then I'm 595 00:22:58,220 --> 00:23:00,387 gonna go to the phones on this just to 596 00:23:00,387 --> 00:22:59,920 follow up on the previous question , 597 00:22:59,930 --> 00:23:02,152 there was multiple levels of deterrence 598 00:23:02,152 --> 00:23:04,374 in the region . Has the department seen 599 00:23:04,374 --> 00:23:06,430 any signs that Iran is attempting to 600 00:23:06,430 --> 00:23:06,199 rein these groups in from the sort of 601 00:23:06,209 --> 00:23:08,320 localized attacks in Iraq ? And Syria 602 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,729 on us bases . Um , I'm not going to 603 00:23:10,739 --> 00:23:12,961 speak to intelligence that we gather on 604 00:23:12,961 --> 00:23:15,979 Iran . Is there any concern that the 605 00:23:15,989 --> 00:23:17,770 RGC may or may not have full 606 00:23:17,780 --> 00:23:19,891 operational control of these groups ? 607 00:23:19,891 --> 00:23:21,669 Is that something that might be 608 00:23:21,669 --> 00:23:21,339 factoring into what's going on right 609 00:23:21,349 --> 00:23:23,640 here ? Well , we certainly know and 610 00:23:23,650 --> 00:23:25,872 we've been pretty public about the fact 611 00:23:25,872 --> 00:23:28,010 that the I RGC , you know , supports 612 00:23:28,020 --> 00:23:30,630 arms quips , funds , trains these 613 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:32,949 groups so they do maintain some level 614 00:23:32,959 --> 00:23:35,181 of accountability over these groups . I 615 00:23:35,181 --> 00:23:37,070 think some of these militias , of 616 00:23:37,070 --> 00:23:39,292 course , you know , carry out their own 617 00:23:39,292 --> 00:23:41,237 attacks , maybe not necessarily uh 618 00:23:41,237 --> 00:23:43,569 running it up all through their command 619 00:23:43,579 --> 00:23:45,801 and control nodes . But we know that um 620 00:23:45,801 --> 00:23:48,099 Iran certainly has a role to play with 621 00:23:48,109 --> 00:23:50,165 these groups . I'm gonna get head to 622 00:23:50,165 --> 00:23:52,053 the phones here . Idris Reuters , 623 00:23:59,780 --> 00:24:01,836 nothing heard . Uh Chris Gordon a in 624 00:24:01,836 --> 00:24:05,349 space . Uh Thanks Sabrina on the US 625 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:07,219 airstrikes . Uh You and other US 626 00:24:07,229 --> 00:24:09,451 officials have said broadly the message 627 00:24:09,451 --> 00:24:12,099 to Iran and these militias is to stop . 628 00:24:12,209 --> 00:24:14,780 So does that mean no attacks on us , 629 00:24:14,790 --> 00:24:17,199 troops in Iraq and Syria uh by these 630 00:24:17,209 --> 00:24:19,020 militias ? Are these airstrikes 631 00:24:19,030 --> 00:24:21,675 intended to stop attacks completely to 632 00:24:21,685 --> 00:24:24,474 limit them to degrade them ? What's the 633 00:24:24,484 --> 00:24:27,555 end game here ? What is the practical 634 00:24:27,564 --> 00:24:31,464 achievable goal of these US airstrikes ? 635 00:24:31,665 --> 00:24:33,943 Yeah , Chris , thanks for the question . 636 00:24:33,943 --> 00:24:36,109 We do want to see um , a stop to these 637 00:24:36,109 --> 00:24:39,099 attacks on us forces . Next question , 638 00:24:39,109 --> 00:24:42,739 Jeff Fogel task on purpose . Uh Thank 639 00:24:42,750 --> 00:24:46,609 you . Um Has the defense department or 640 00:24:46,619 --> 00:24:49,420 the Biden administration as a whole 641 00:24:49,430 --> 00:24:53,040 made a decision that any uh airstrikes 642 00:24:53,050 --> 00:24:55,329 or other form of retaliation against 643 00:24:55,469 --> 00:24:58,829 attacks on us forces will be in Syria 644 00:24:58,890 --> 00:25:02,520 instead of uh Iraq . And I also just 645 00:25:02,530 --> 00:25:04,252 wanted to , to follow up on my 646 00:25:04,252 --> 00:25:06,689 colleague's question , what is the end 647 00:25:06,699 --> 00:25:09,689 game here ? There's a cycle of attack 648 00:25:09,739 --> 00:25:12,170 and then Reprisal and more attacks . Uh 649 00:25:12,180 --> 00:25:15,709 How does this end ? Thanks Jeff . Um , 650 00:25:15,750 --> 00:25:18,189 in terms of why I think your question 651 00:25:18,199 --> 00:25:20,421 is sort of what Carla had asked earlier 652 00:25:20,421 --> 00:25:22,479 on why we are selecting targets in 653 00:25:22,489 --> 00:25:25,319 Syria . Um Look , we feel confident 654 00:25:25,329 --> 00:25:27,385 about the targets that we select the 655 00:25:27,385 --> 00:25:30,699 ability to degrade further capabilities 656 00:25:30,709 --> 00:25:33,979 of these I RGC back groups . Um I'm not 657 00:25:33,989 --> 00:25:36,100 going to get into , you know , why we 658 00:25:36,100 --> 00:25:38,449 pick certain places over another um the 659 00:25:38,459 --> 00:25:40,459 attacks right now on our forces are 660 00:25:40,459 --> 00:25:42,729 basically split pretty evenly between 661 00:25:42,739 --> 00:25:46,290 Iraq and Syria . And so , um we feel 662 00:25:46,459 --> 00:25:50,130 confident in our targeting of um the , 663 00:25:50,140 --> 00:25:52,099 the places we were able to hit uh 664 00:25:52,109 --> 00:25:55,000 within Eastern Syria . And on your , 665 00:25:55,209 --> 00:25:58,290 how does this end ? I mean , again , we 666 00:25:58,300 --> 00:26:00,522 want to see these attacks stop . So how 667 00:26:00,522 --> 00:26:03,170 this these end is really up to how 668 00:26:03,180 --> 00:26:05,910 these I RGC affiliated backed groups 669 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,810 choose to conduct themselves . Um Again , 670 00:26:09,819 --> 00:26:12,041 we want to see these attacks completely 671 00:26:12,041 --> 00:26:14,689 stop on our forces in Iraq and Syria . 672 00:26:14,780 --> 00:26:18,290 So we will always , and , and continue 673 00:26:18,300 --> 00:26:20,411 to protect our troops in the region . 674 00:26:20,411 --> 00:26:22,411 We will make the decision to decide 675 00:26:22,420 --> 00:26:24,770 when we choose to respond . But how 676 00:26:24,780 --> 00:26:27,239 this ends is when these attacks stop 677 00:26:28,089 --> 00:26:30,311 and last question on the phone and I'll 678 00:26:30,311 --> 00:26:32,533 come back in the room . Um , Heather us 679 00:26:32,533 --> 00:26:34,800 and I , hi , thank you so much . Um Not 680 00:26:34,810 --> 00:26:37,032 to sound flippant , but you keep saying 681 00:26:37,032 --> 00:26:39,060 that the war hasn't expanded past 682 00:26:39,069 --> 00:26:41,236 Israel and Hamas . But I was wondering 683 00:26:41,236 --> 00:26:43,013 what the definition , the dod s 684 00:26:43,013 --> 00:26:45,236 definition for expansion is since we're 685 00:26:45,236 --> 00:26:47,402 seeing these attacks in Syria and Iraq 686 00:26:47,402 --> 00:26:50,089 against us um troops that only started 687 00:26:50,099 --> 00:26:53,390 after the Hamas attack in Israel . Yeah , 688 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,849 thanks Heather . So again , the attack , 689 00:26:55,859 --> 00:26:57,748 the I mean , the brutal terrorist 690 00:26:57,748 --> 00:27:01,239 attack that happened um in Israel was 691 00:27:01,250 --> 00:27:03,589 on October 7th , these attacks started 692 00:27:03,599 --> 00:27:07,219 happening on October 17th . Um Again , 693 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:10,270 we have not seen the conflict that is 694 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:13,359 happening um within Israel and within 695 00:27:13,369 --> 00:27:17,040 Gaza expand out to the region . Um And 696 00:27:17,050 --> 00:27:19,272 you're seeing that's , or that's why we 697 00:27:19,272 --> 00:27:21,272 have said and continue to emphasize 698 00:27:21,272 --> 00:27:24,310 from this podium here that we have 699 00:27:24,319 --> 00:27:26,599 surge assets to the region . We have um 700 00:27:26,609 --> 00:27:28,609 when we announced that we , we , we 701 00:27:28,609 --> 00:27:31,050 announced that we have put a tens F-15s 702 00:27:31,060 --> 00:27:34,040 F-16s into the region . We have also 703 00:27:34,050 --> 00:27:36,520 put the Ford carrier strike group . The 704 00:27:36,530 --> 00:27:39,270 IC is also in the Centcom A or um that 705 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,560 is all to send a clear message of , of 706 00:27:41,569 --> 00:27:45,469 deterrence um to any actor , 707 00:27:45,479 --> 00:27:47,890 state or non state actor to if they 708 00:27:47,900 --> 00:27:50,410 seek to take advantage of this conflict 709 00:27:50,420 --> 00:27:53,170 to really think about that again . Um 710 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:55,622 And again , I'll , I'll emphasize right 711 00:27:55,622 --> 00:27:57,456 now , we are seeing the conflict 712 00:27:57,456 --> 00:28:00,209 contained to Gaza . Um And so , uh that 713 00:28:00,219 --> 00:28:02,219 is what we want to see and we don't 714 00:28:02,219 --> 00:28:04,497 want to see this expand um beyond that . 715 00:28:04,497 --> 00:28:06,608 All right . Coming back in the room , 716 00:28:06,608 --> 00:28:08,663 yes , in the back . Um Thank you for 717 00:28:08,663 --> 00:28:10,920 taking my question . Um Has there , 718 00:28:10,930 --> 00:28:13,390 have you seen any indication of uh 719 00:28:13,719 --> 00:28:16,439 progress uh by Iran in enriching 720 00:28:16,449 --> 00:28:18,869 uranium ? I don't have any updates for 721 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,609 you on , on that specifically . Sure . 722 00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:24,233 Did I see anyone else or we ? All right . 723 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:26,680 Ok , thanks , everyone . Have a good 724 00:28:26,689 --> 00:28:27,170 afternoon .