The United States would help Israel defend itself should a full-scale war break out with Lebanon, the country’s Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters in the Philippines as Lebanon braced for an IDF counterstrike.
“We remain concerned about the potential of this escalating into a full fight. And I don’t believe that a fight is inevitable,” Austin said.
He spoke as the almost ten months of IDF-Hezbollah cross violence threaten to escape into a third Lebanon war following a Hezbollah strike that killed an Israeli on Tuesday and 12 Druze children on Saturday.
The international community, led by the US and France has scrambled to contain the situation, as they pushed for a diplomatic resolution.
“I think that you know, we’d like to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion,” he said, ducking a question about whether Israel could manage a full-out war with Lebanon as it battled Hamas in Gaza.
“Israel will do what it needs to defend itself. And it’s demonstrated that you know, time and again.
“Certainly that’s not a scenario that we’d like to see occur,” Austin said.
He pledged US support for Israel’s self-defense but was vague as to whether Washington would once again lead a coalition of five armies to protect Israel, as it did in April when the Jewish state was under attack by Iranian drones and missiles.
‘We will help to help Israel defend itself’
“If Israel is attacked.. we will help to help Israel defend itself. We’ve been clear about that from the very beginning, but again, we don’t want to see that happen,” he stated.
The upsurge in northern violence comes as the US is hoping to finalize a hostage deal to secure the release of 115 hostages in Gaza. Qatar and Egypt have been the main mediators for the deal, which would involve a lull to the war that could lead to a permanent ceasefire. It is believed that when the guns go silent in Gaza, Hezbollah will halt its attack on northern Israel.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty about the deal.
Blinken “emphasized the importance of a ceasefire agreement to furthering broader regional stability, including by unlocking the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the conflict across the Blue Line” on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
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