The US opposes a possible Israeli ground operation in Lebanon and is going to take “concrete steps” to avoid further escalation, France Presse reports citing a senior US official.
The Economist earlier reported, citing military sources, that Israel was preparing a ground operation in Lebanon to create a buffer zone north of the border between the two countries.
“We have some specific ideas that we are going to discuss with allies and partners this week… Obviously we don’t believe that a ground invasion of Lebanon will help reduce tensions in the region, prevent an increase in violence, that’s partly why we are so focused on using this week to explore these ideas and see if we can develop… a way to avoid (escalation),” the agency quoted the official as saying.
According to the agency’s interlocutor, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and other senior American officials will discuss these ideas during meetings on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York. He also expressed hope that the U.S. proposals would jump-start a diplomatic process to resolve the conflict, presumably allowing people in southern Lebanon and northern Israel to return to their homes.
Israeli aircraft began launching massive strikes on settlements in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday morning. Dozens of villages and a number of regional localities were hit. “Hezbollah also fired dozens of rockets toward northern Israel. The Lebanese government has already called on the UN to intervene and stop the “Israeli aggression.”