the meaning of "with" in this sentence

[motico]

Hello,

I don't quite understand the mening of the word: "with" in this sentence:

Israeli officials also denied plans to attack Lebanon, with Ambassador to the US Michael Oren telling CNN that Israel has no intention of attacking Lebanon…

Is it: "by means of" or "through"?

Thank you,

 

[Allen165]

Interesting question. And I don't know the answer; that is, I can't think of a synonym for "with." But I can tell you that it functions to specify the clause "Israeli officials also denied plans to attack Lebanon."