Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant spoke to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin by phone late Friday over a series of regional issues, according to a statement by the Israeli Defense Ministry on Saturday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The phone conversation "focused on security developments in the Middle East," including the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran's nuclear program, said the ministry statement.
Earlier this week, Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians in a military raid on the West Bank city of Nablus, aggravating the already high tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.
Ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will begin in late March, there is concern that tensions will rise further, as the Israeli military has been conducting almost daily raids in the West Bank in an alleged attempt to arrest suspects in deadly Palestinian attacks.