WASHINGTON (Agencies): The US defense secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart four times this week, a sign of how concerned the Biden administration is about an escalatory pattern along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Israeli officials have upped their rhetoric and threats of a looming military campaign along the border, which they think will allow for the return of tens of thousands of residents to the north.
Washington has a different take, and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, among others in the US government, has been relaying that message publicly and privately. The US believes a land invasion or Israeli attempts to create a so-called “buffer zone” inside of Lebanon will not result in the return of Israeli residents to the north, something which the Israeli government has said is a new goal of theirs. In separate meetings this week with US President Joe Biden’s aide, Amos Hochstein, this message was relayed to embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the defense minister. Biden has tasked Hochstein with ensuring that the Lebanon-Israel border exchanges do not escalate further.
Austin spoke to Yoav Gallant for the first time on Sunday. The Pentagon published a readout of the call on Monday, and Austin posted a clear statement on X, part of which read: “Israel should support diplomatic negotiations to de-escalate tensions with Lebanese Hizballah along the Lebanon-Israel border.”
Other senior Pentagon officials have also been in touch with their Israeli counterparts to understand better what their thinking was and is going forward.
Around 70,000 Israelis are believed to have been forced to leave the northern part of Israel and seek refuge further south. On the other side, around 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and move further north or closer to the capital of Beirut.
Austin and the Pentagon have repeatedly reaffirmed their support for Israel’s right to defend itself, but they have pressed the Israelis against an invasion or expanded military campaign inside Lebanon.
The Pentagon’s readout of the first Austin-Gallant call said Austin noted “the devastating consequences that escalation would have on the people of Israel, Lebanon, and the broader region.”
Less than 48 hours later, Israel began a highly sophisticated attack across Lebanon, targeting the pagers, walkie-talkies and other communications devices used by Hezbollah. in total so far.
The attack began on Tuesday around two hours after Austin and Gallant spoke for the second time this week. Gallant gave Austin an advance notice that an attack would take place but left him out of the loop with any further details.
Shortly after news broke of the attack, Austin spoke to Gallant again. The Pentagon did not initially report the second call of the day, the third of this week. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that four calls took place since Sunday when asked by Al Arabiya English.
Officials said Austin scrapped a planned trip to the Middle East that would have initially seen him visit Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.
On Wednesday, explosions rocked Lebanon once again. This time, the Israelis targeted walkie-talkies.
The two-day death toll from the explosions, according to the Lebanese health ministry, stands at 37. Close to 3,000 people were wounded, with the majority believed to be Hezbollah members or fighters.
Austin again spoke to Gallant on Wednesday evening for their fourth call. According to sources and officials familiar with their conversations, he was not notified ahead of the second wave of attacks.
During their Wednesday call, Austin reiterated US support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Hezbollah and Iran’s other regional partners, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
And as he has done for weeks, Austin said a Gaza ceasefire deal was a priority for the US due to the belief that it would be the best way to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Austin said an enduring diplomatic resolution would allow civilians on both sides to return to their homes.
The US assessment continues to be that Israel will not invade Lebanon, as was reported by Al Arabiya English on Wednesday.
Yet, there is increasing concern about the intentions of the Netanyahu government. Some US officials believe, until now, that the Israeli attack on Hezbollah’s communications network was meant to pressure Hezbollah to halt its cross-border attacks on Israel and separate the issue from a Gaza ceasefire.
Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said a similar message was relayed to the group using backdoor channels.
That being said, the US, as an official put it, is also concerned that deploying such “an enormous capability,” one would presume, would be a precursor to an escalated military operation or campaign. The US also sees the blow to Hezbollah’s morale as a potential opportunity for Israel to conduct an attack that exceeds the intensity or volume of those previously seen over the last 11 months. But officials said they were not supportive of any moves that would further harm the chances for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Add to that the public threats made by Israeli officials to launch a new phase of the 11-month conflict, Washington is watching with concern.
The Israeli military conducted dozens of heavy strikes across the southern part of Lebanon on Thursday evening against what they said were Hezbollah launchers and infrastructure sites. “Additionally, the [Israeli army] struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure and a weapons storage facility in multiple areas in southern Lebanon,” the Israeli military said in a post on X.
However, no changes in US military posture have been made in the Middle East. Additionally, US officials said there will be no US boots on the ground to support any Israeli offensive operations.
“I think we’ve been pretty clear from the beginning that we are there in the defense of Israel, should we need to come to their defense? We’re not going in and supporting offensive ground operations in what they do, whether it be in the north or in Gaza,” Singh said Thursday. “So, the [US] president was very clear at the very beginning on what the United States’ role is when it comes to Israel’s operations,” she added during a briefing with reporters.
Singh also highlighted US policy to press and support a diplomatic solution. “That’s why you’re seeing such an aggressive push from many different officials across the [Biden] administration that continue to travel back to the region or elsewhere.”
Courtesy: (alarabiya)
