US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon on Tuesday, warning that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could spark a regional war and calling for a diplomatic solution.
More than eight months of war in Gaza has raised tensions across the region, with Israeli forces and Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah exchanging fire almost daily.
“Another war between Israel and Hezbollah could easily become a regional war, with dire consequences for the Middle East. “Diplomacy is by far the best way to prevent further escalation,”” Austin said.
Gallant, speaking at the opening of the meeting with Austin, said that “we are cooperating closely to reach an agreement, but we must also discuss readiness for every possible scenario”.
Israel’s military said last week that plans for an offensive in Lebanon had been “approved and confirmed” amid escalating cross-border clashes, but Washington is seeking to “turn down the heat” and prevent another major conflict in the Middle East.
Gallant is visiting Washington to reaffirm the value of ties with Israel’s biggest ally after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly accused the United States of what he says are delays in arms shipments.
The US government insists that only one shipment of bombs has been held up because of concerns about their use in populated areas, and that other weapons shipments are proceeding as usual.
The United States is Israel’s main arms supplier, but the rising number of casualties in the Gaza conflict has put pressure on President Joe Biden to take action and fueled tensions between his administration and Netanyahu.
Gallant met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington the previous day, during which the head of US diplomacy called on Israel to avoid escalation in Lebanon.
The Israeli minister also spoke with CIA chief Bill Burns, a key US official in negotiations to free the hostages from Hamas.
Netanyahu said Israeli forces were ending the most intense part of the war in Gaza and would redeploy to the northern border, although he described the move as defensive.
Israel and Hezbollah last fought a major war in 2006, when a cross-border attack by Hezbollah sparked 34 days of fighting that took a heavy toll on Lebanon, especially the south of the country, reports AFP.
