Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke on Sunday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about the six hostages in Gaza murdered by Hamas, including 23-year-old U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder at news conference today.

Austin passed along his deepest condolences to the families of the slain hostages, and “he expressed outrage at their vicious, illegal and immoral execution at the hands of Hamas,” Ryder said. 

The secretary affirmed that Hamas leaders must be held accountable for the murder of the innocent civilians, and the defense leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to swiftly reaching a cease-fire deal to secure the release of all remaining hostages, the general said. 

Also on Sunday, U.S. forces in the U.S. Central Command partnered with Syrian Democratic Forces to capture Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, an ISIS leader and facilitator who was assessed as helping ISIS fighters after he escaped from a detention facility in Raqqa, Syria, the press secretary said. 

“The operation highlights Centcom’s ongoing efforts to support our SDF partners to mitigate threats of future escapes by ISIS detainees from SDF detention facilities in Syria and to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Ryder said. 

Yesterday, Iranian-backed Houthis attacked two crude-oil tankers transiting the Red Sea with two ballistic missiles and a one-way attack unmanned aerial system, hitting both vessels. The motor vessel Blue Lagoon 1 is owned by Panama and sails under the Panamanian flag; the operator is Greek. The motor vessel Amjad is flagged, owned and operated by Saudi Arabia. 

“These reckless attacks of terrorism by the Houthis continue to destabilize regional and global commerce, while threatening the lives of innocent civilian mariners, as well as maritime ecosystems,” Ryder said. 

Currently, salvage efforts are underway in the southern Red Sea for the disabled motor vessel Delta Sounion, Greek-owned, which was attacked by Houthis on Aug. 21 and is still on fire and could develop into a major environmental disaster, according to a Centcom news release. 

“The U.S. will continue to work with international partners and allies to protect maritime commerce and mitigate potential impacts to the environment, despite the irresponsible and careless actions of the Iranian-backed Houthis,” Ryder said.

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