US says Israel has assured it that it wants a diplomatic path with Lebanon

The United States said Tuesday that it does not want to witness an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

“We do not wanna see either side escalate the conflict in the north (of Israel) and in fact we are gonna continue to pursue a diplomatic resolution of that conflict,” U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a daily press briefing when asked about Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s remarks that Israel would continue attacking Hezbollah even if a truce is reached in Gaza.

“The State of Israel has said publicly and they have assured us privately that they wanna achieve a diplomatic path, so that’s what we’re gonna continue to pursue and ultimately that would make military action unnecessary,” Miller added.

Since October 8, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily fire. At least 284 people have been killed on the Lebanese side since fighting erupted, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including 44 civilians. On the Israeli side, 10 soldiers and six civilians have been killed according to the Israeli army.

The fighting has also displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides of the border and Israel has repeatedly warned that it might use bigger force against Hezbollah to secure its residents' return.