US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that he does not believe a full-blown “fight” between Israel and Lebanon was imminent despite escalating tensions at the border.
“While we’ve seen a lot of activity on Israel’s northern border (and) we remain concerned about the potential of this escalating into a full-blown fight, I don’t believe that a fight is inevitable,” he told reporters in Manila where he and US State Secretary Antony Blinken attended a bilateral meeting with their Philippine counterparts.
Asked whether he felt Israel could fight a two-front war in Gaza and Lebanon, Austin said “Israel will do what it needs to defend itself and it’s demonstrated that time and again.”
While the United States is committed “to helping Israel defend itself or whatever it takes,” Austin stressed that the US wants to see “things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.”
“We’ve been clear about that from the very beginning,” he said. “But again, we don’t want to see that happen. What we want to see happen is things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.”
Tensions have increased along Lebanon’s border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. Israel has been pressing on with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 39,000 people in more than nine months.7.
The conflict started when Palestinian Islamist Hamas members and others invaded Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage.
Source Agencies
