US seeking diplomatic deal to prevent Israel-Hezbollah conflict, says Pentagon chief
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Smoke rising from the southern Lebanese town of Khiam, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, on June 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – The US is urgently working towards a diplomatic agreement that would allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes on both sides of the border, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on June 25.
Shelling on Israel’s northern border has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from areas on both sides of the frontier and has escalated in recent weeks, leading to fears of an all-out Israel-Hezbollah war.
“Hezbollah’s provocations threaten to drag the Israeli and Lebanese people into a war that they do not want. Such a war would be a catastrophe for Lebanon, and it would be devastating for innocent Israeli and Lebanese civilians,” Mr Austin said, at the start of his meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon.
“Diplomacy is by far the best way to prevent more escalation. So we’re urgently seeking a diplomatic agreement that restores lasting calm to Israel’s northern border and enables civilians to return to their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border,” he added.
Mr Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s national security adviser, has said Israel will spend the coming weeks trying to resolve the conflict with Lebanon’s Iran-backed, heavily armed Hezbollah group and would prefer a diplomatic solution.
Mr Hanegbi said Israel had been discussing with US officials the possibility that an expected end of intense Israeli military operations in Gaza would allow an “arrangement” to be reached with Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel for more than eight months in parallel with the Gaza war.
Israel and Hezbollah last fought a full-scale war in 2006 when a cross-border Hezbollah attack sparked 34 days of fighting that took a heavy toll on Lebanon.
At the Pentagon, Mr Gallant said he would discuss military readiness with Mr Austin.
Mr Gallant said: “We are working closely together to achieve an agreement, but we must also discuss readiness on every possible scenario.”
He told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 24 that Israel would prefer a diplomatic resolution to the conflict with Hezbollah, the State Department said.
“We think a diplomatic resolution is possible. We think it is in the interests of all parties,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on June 24.
Mr Gallant, at the Pentagon, said he would discuss close defence ties between Israel and the US but also areas of disagreement.
The Biden administration in May paused a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs due to concern over the impact they could have in densely populated areas, but Israel was still due to get billions of dollars worth of US weaponry.
The Gaza war started on Oct 7 when Palestinian militant group Hamas invaded Israel and killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They took around 250 hostages back to Gaza.
More than 100 were released during a truce in November, but Israeli tallies estimate that there are 116 hostages left, though 40 are believed to have died.
Israel’s retaliatory attack in Gaza has killed more than 37,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Much of the enclave has been destroyed, with malnutrition and the risk of disease widespread. REUTERS
