US pause Israel weapons shipment due to Rafah: US defense secretary

President Joe Biden's decision to hold up delivery of high payload munitions to Israel was taken in the context of Israel's plans to carry out an offensive in Rafah that Washington opposes without new civilian safeguards, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday.

"We've been very clear...from the very beginning that Israel shouldn't launch a major attack into the Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battlespace. And again, as we have assessed the situation, we have paused one shipment of high payload munitions," he told a Senate hearing.

"We've not made a final determination on how to proceed with with that shipment."