US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has cautioned his Israeli counterpart that any escalation with Lebanon’s Hezbollah could have a “devastating” impact on the people of Israel, Lebanon and the region.Austin spoke to Yoav Gallant on Sunday after Yemen’s Houthis carried out a ballistic missile against Israel and as cross-border exchanges continued between Hezbollah and Israel along the Lebanon-Israel border.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.While Austin reinforced the United States’ “ironclad commitment” to Israel’s security and its right to self-defense, he also reaffirmed the need for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would see an end to almost one year of fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants.Austin advised Gallant that Israel should give diplomatic negotiations time to succeed, “noting the devastating consequences that escalation would have on the people of Israel, Lebanon, and the broader region,” the Pentagon said in a