U.S. Defense Sec says Hezbollah-Israel conflict not inevitable

MANILA (Reuters) - United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin does not believe that a fight between Israel and Hezbollah is inevitable, and said Washington would like to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.

Austin made the comments on Tuesday at a joint press conference in Manila, following security talks between himself, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their respective Philippine counterparts, Gilberto Teodoro and Enrique Manalo.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis; Writing by Karen Lema; Editing by John Mair)