U.S. Presses to Avert Wider War Between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

U.S. Presses to Avert Wider War Between ******* and Hezbollah in Lebanon

The ******* States is in the midst of an intense diplomatic push to prevent full-on war between ******* and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, as the risks rise that either side could initiate a broader regional ******.

In recent days, U.S. officials have pressed their ******** counterparts and passed messages to Hezbollah’s leaders with the goal of averting a wider regional conflict that they ***** could draw in both Iran and the ******* States.

*******’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, met with several Biden administration officials in Washington this week, in large measure to discuss the escalating tensions along *******’s northern border with Lebanon. That visit followed one last week by *******’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, and its minister of strategic affairs, Ron Dermer.

Also last week, a senior White House official, Amos Hochstein, who has assumed an informal diplomatic role mediating between the two sides, visited ******* and Lebanon. Mr. Hochstein warned Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, that the ******* States would not be able to restrain ******* should it commit to an all-out war with the militia group.

Archrivals for decades, ******* and Hezbollah have frequently exchanged ***** along *******’s northern border. After the ******-led attacks on Oct. 7 triggered a blistering ******** ******** in Gaza, Hezbollah began ******* at *******, mainly against ******** military targets in northern ******* to show solidarity with ******, which is also backed by Iran.

The fighting has intensified in recent weeks, and *******’s reduced combat operations in Gaza, where it has greatly weakened ******, have freed up more of its forces for a possible offensive in the north.

The nightmare scenario for U.S. officials would be an escalation in which, for a second time, Iran and ******* directly exchange blows. In another such round, the ******* States might not be able to control the escalatory ****-for-tat as it did in April.

For now, U.S. officials believe that both ******* and Hezbollah would prefer to reach a diplomatic solution.

During his visit to Washington, Mr. Gallant told officials in the Biden administration that ******* did not want a full-scale war with Hezbollah but that it was prepared to hit the group hard if provoked much further.

Among the officials who met with Mr. Gallant were Mr. Hochstein, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and the C.I.A. director, William J. Burns.

“The U.S. priority is de-escalation,” said David Schenker, a former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs in the Trump administration. “Neither side wants a war.”

Hezbollah was formed with help from Iran to ****** the ******** occupation of southern Lebanon after ******* invaded the country in 1982. A much more formidable fighting force than ******, Hezbollah has amassed thousands of rockets capable of devastating ******** cities.

********* intelligence agencies assess that Hezbollah is intent on showing support for ****** by striking across the border but has been trying to avoid giving ******* an excuse to launch a cross-border incursion.

U.S. officials believe the ******** government is divided over the wisdom of opening a ******* front in the north. Some ******** officials, including Mr. Gallant, argued after the Oct. 7 ****** attacks that ******* should have responded by trying to ******** both ****** and Hezbollah.

Mr. Gallant’s position has since shifted, according to ********* officials. He now says opening a new front would be ill-advised, the officials said.

But U.S. officials and analysts say the risk that the war might spread ******** dangerously high.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of ******* is facing growing political pressure to re-establish security in northern *******, from which some 60,000 residents have been evacuated. Many are hoping to return to the area before the new school year begins in September, but most say they will not feel safe enough to go back as long as Hezbollah’s attacks continue.

Adding to the risk is uncertainty among the ******* States, *******, Hezbollah and Iran about one another’s true intentions.

“There is a possibility of pulling this latest escalation and expansion of the conflict back from the brink,” warned Suzanne Maloney, director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. “But there are four actors engaged in a dangerous game of chicken and the prospect for miscalculation is high.”

“Many in Washington and elsewhere have underestimated the risk tolerance of the current Iranian leadership,” she added.

U.S. officials do not have direct contact with Hezbollah because the ******* States considers it a ********** group. Mr. Hochstein delivers his messages to its leaders through Shiite Lebanese politicians informally aligned with the group.

“He carried a very strong message, which is that if you think that we can dictate what they do or not, you’re wrong,” said Ed Gabriel, president of the ********* Task Force on Lebanon, a nonprofit that supports democracy in Lebanon and U.S.-Lebanon ties. “You have to understand that America does not have the leverage to stop *******.”

Mr. Gabriel, a former U.S. ambassador to Morocco, said he had direct knowledge of the communication. A U.S. official confirmed that Mr. Hochstein had delivered the message.

In addition to urging both sides to show restraint, Mr. Hochstein has been trying to persuade Hezbollah to withdraw its forces farther back from *******’s border, as required by a ******* Nations Security Council resolution passed after a 2006 war between ******* and Hezbollah.

On Sunday, Mr. Netanyahu said in a televised interview that ******* was demanding “the physical distancing of Hezbollah” from the border to remove the threat posed by the armed group.

“I hope we are not forced to do so militarily, but if we are — we will be up to the task,” he said.

A larger clash between ******* and Lebanon could be devastating for both sides. ******* inflicted so much damage on Lebanon in 2006 that the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said he would not have conducted the operation that launched the war if he had known the damage that would result. But ******* would emerge bloodied as well. Hezbollah claims it could launch 3,000 rockets and missiles a day, a barrage with the potential to overwhelm *******’s Iron Dome missile defense system.

And even if Iran did not become directly involved, its other proxy forces, including Shiite militias in Iraq and Houthi militants in Yemen, could step up their attacks on ******* and U.S. interests.

Analysts and officials say that a halt to the fighting in Gaza would be the surest way to defuse the friction between ******* and Hezbollah. But a recent plan to stop the fighting endorsed by Mr. Biden and the Security Council is in doubt following added demands by ****** and equivocal statements by Mr. Netanyahu.

Mr. Hanegbi, *******’s national security adviser, said Mr. Hochstein was optimistic that *******’s plan to transition to lower-intensity fighting in Gaza after ending its offensive in Rafah could open a diplomatic window for a truce with Hezbollah.

“He believes that this will provide Hezbollah with a ladder with which it can climb down from its daily solidarity with the battle in Gaza,” Mr. Hanegbi said on Tuesday during a discussion at Reichman University in Herzliya. “And that means it will be possible to talk about a settlement in the north.”

One growing concern for U.S. officials is the ******** of ********* diplomats and citizens in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

On Thursday, the State Department issued an advisory again warning Americans not travel to Lebanon and stressing that Lebanon’s government “cannot guarantee the protection of U.S. citizens against sudden outbreaks of ********* and armed conflict.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#U.S #Presses #Avert #Wider #War #******* #Hezbollah #Lebanon

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

For verified travel tips and real support, visit: https://hopzone.eu/