The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been cautioned by the United States and its allies against escalating the conflict in Israel. This comes after the deployment of US military assets to prevent a potential widening of the war, multiple US officials aware of the matter told CNN.
At this point, senior administration officials do not believe that Hezbollah is likely to join Hamas’ war in force against Israel, and officials think the warnings are having an impact even though there has been some escalation on the border.
A message has been sent to Hezbollah to stay out of the conflict through a number of channels, including the Lebanese government and the Hezbollah-allied Speaker of Lebanon’s Parliament, Nabih Berri.
Berri was mentioned by administration officials briefing Congress on Sunday as a go-between, according to a person familiar with the briefing. The US won’t officially engage with what has been designated a terrorist group, so Berri is one natural conduit, as per CNN.
At Israel’s request, France has also conveyed to Hezbollah that they must stay out of the war and not escalate further or Israel will respond significantly, a source briefed on the talks said. Those discussions were also coordinated with the US, the source said.
“Western allies who have informal ties with Hezbollah have conveyed some messages,” a Western diplomat confirmed, adding that the response by Hezbollah indicated “the pre-existing will of Hezbollah not to escalate for now.”
A senior defence official said on Monday, “We are deeply concerned about Hezbollah making the wrong decision and choosing to open a second front to this conflict,” adding: “We are working with Israel and with our partners across the region to contain this to Gaza.”
Hezbollah is a highly trained, well-armed and sophisticated military force that also receives Iranian support, so its entry into the conflict would mark a significant escalation. But current and former senior officials don’t believe Hezbollah is eager to join the war, largely because the risks for the group would outweigh any potential rewards.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean in large part as a message to Hezbollah and its Iranian backers to refrain from entering the war.
US security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House on Tuesday: “Let me be clear, we did not move the carrier for Hamas. We moved the carrier to send a clear message of deterrence to other states or non-state actors that might seek to widen this war.”
President Joe Biden reinforced that message in remarks on Tuesday from the White House.
“Let me say again, to any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of the situation, I have one word: Don’t. Don’t. Our hearts may be broken, but our resolve is clear,” he said.
US Mission to Israel Charge d’Affaires ad interim Stephanie Hallett was on Wednesday present at the Gaza periphery to bear witness to the atrocities that were committed on Saturday. “We’ve come down here along the Gaza periphery to bear witness to the atrocities that were committed here on Saturday. And it’s really unbelievable, as a mother and just as a human being, to see and to know what happened here is really important, to say that we’ve been here, we’ve seen it, and it is evil. And we stand with Israel. All of us. We stand with Israel.”
The IDF earlier said an anti-tank missile was launched from Lebanon towards a military post near the community of Arab Al-Aramshe.
Taking to X, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) stated, “An anti-tank missile was launched from Lebanon toward a military post adjacent to the community of Arab Al-Aramshe on the #BlueLine.”
A suspected infiltration attempt occurred near the border town of Rosh HaNikra.
A senior Israel Defence Forces (IDF) officer and two soldiers were killed during a firefight with terrorists who infiltrated into Israeli territory from southern Lebanon on Monday afternoon, the military confirmed on Tuesday.
Five additional Israeli troops were wounded in the attack, according to the IDF.
The officer was identified as 300th Brigade Deputy Commander Lt Col Alim Abdullah, 40, from the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat in northern Israel.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
