US top general says tensions in Middle East have 'somewhat' eased amid new Iranian threats

Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account - free of charge. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. Please enter a valid email address. Having trouble? Click here.

Concerns over an all-out war between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran have eased, according to comments made by U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. to Reuters on Monday, but statements issued by Jerusalem and Tehran suggest otherwise.

Brown met with top Israeli officials in Tel Aviv to discuss ongoing security issues facing Jerusalem just one day after the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Sunday – during which hundreds of rockets and drones were fired by the terrorist group at northern Israeli military positions.

Jerusalem said it too had fired a series of strikes on Hezbollah strongholds after 100 warplanes took to the sky to preemptively hit thousands of rocket launchers reportedly positioned to fire upon Israel.

ISRAEL WARNS US DEFENSE CHIEF IRAN AGGRESSION HAS ‘REACHED ALL-TIME HIGH’

Despite the heavy fire that was exchanged, relatively few deaths were reported, with three Hezbollah militants and one Israeli soldier killed in the day’s events, which concluded by mid-morning Sunday.

When asked if the threat of a large-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah – which is backed by Iran – had abated, Brown replied, "Somewhat, yes."

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said the Sunday operation was ordered in response to the killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr at the end of July, reported Al Jazeera.

But the