Biden Advises Israel to "Avoid Escalation with Hezbollah"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

U.S. President Joe Biden is reported to have advised Israel to avoid escalating the conflict with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

According to foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) on the 20th (local time), President Biden and his senior aides urged Israeli leadership not to carry out large-scale airstrikes against Hezbollah, warning that it could draw Hezbollah into the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Previously, President Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken each visited Israel and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the wartime cabinet.

The U.S. has emphasized how difficult it would be to fight two wars simultaneously against Hamas and Hezbollah. The U.S. also views that such a scenario could potentially draw both Iran, which supports Hezbollah, and the U.S. itself into the conflict.

President Biden reportedly questioned the Israeli side about the consequences of engaging in a full-scale war with Hezbollah, highlighting the risks of fighting two wars and referencing the outcomes of the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, which are widely regarded as failed wars.

The U.S. concerns stem from worries that some hawkish figures in Israel’s wartime cabinet, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have supported preemptive strikes against Hezbollah and desire confrontation.

Nevertheless, foreign media analyze that concerns about possible escalation still exist. If Israel overreacts to rocket attacks from Hezbollah or employs harsh tactics during a ground offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah might intervene.

U.S. officials are urging Middle Eastern countries through multiple meetings across the region to help ensure that messages aimed at preventing clashes with Israel are conveyed to Hezbollah.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.