US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has just landed in Israel to discuss the ongoing military operation in Gaza with the Israeli government.

The visit comes amid mounting pressure on the US about how Israel is conducting the war as the intensity of its bombing campaign in Gaza, which has already killed more than 18,000 people, shows no sign of abating.

Austin is expected to question the Israeli officials on when they will transition to a less intense phase of the conflict. The US official previously warned that Israel risked a strategic defeat in the strip if it failed to protect Palestinian civilians.