U.S. defense chief hospitalized due to medical complications

WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized earlier this week due to complications from a medical procedure, the Pentagon said Friday, at a time when Washington is facing a growing crisis in the Middle East.

Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the evening of January 1 "for complications following a recent elective medical procedure," Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement, without providing details on the complications or the duration of the hospital stay.