Military escalation not advisable, White House warns Israel

White House National Security spokesman John Kirby warned that a regional military escalation is not in Israel’s “best interest” amid rising cross-border tensions between Israel and Lebanon, sparking fears of an all-out war.

“We don’t believe that escalating this military conflict is in their best interest,” Kirby stated on ABC’s “This Week,” emphasising that the United States is directly conveying this message to Israeli counterparts.

The situation has intensified, with Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah engaging in escalating cross-border exchanges, including intense rocket fire in northern Israel that sent hundreds of thousands to bomb shelters.

Kirby acknowledged, “The tensions are much higher now than they were even just a few days ago.” However, he remains hopeful, saying, “we still believe that there can be time and space for a diplomatic solution here and that’s what we’re working on.”

The recent violence follows a deadly airstrike on Beirut that killed 45, including Hezbollah commanders, and communication device blasts in Lebanon that left 39 dead and nearly 3,000 wounded.

Israel has signaled its intention to focus on Hezbollah after nearly a year of cross-border fire, which began in October after Hamas’s unprecedented raid on Israel.

Kirby highlighted the US efforts to prevent escalation, stating, “We’ve been working since the beginning of this conflict, October 8th and on, to try to prevent an escalation, to prevent a broadening of this conflict there in and around Israel, but also in the region.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to return displaced northern Israel residents to their homes, but Kirby cautioned that an escalating war would not serve their best interests. “Certainly not going to be in the best interest of all those people that Prime Minister Netanyahu says he wants to be able to send back home.”