The United States on Wednesday called for diplomacy to resolve tensions in Lebanon after Israeli strikes on its northern neighbor.
“We continue to believe that there is a diplomatic path forward, and we will continue to push forward to try to resolve this issue diplomatically,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
“We continue to be concerned about escalation in Lebanon,” he said. “One of our primary objectives from the outset of this conflict is to see that it not be widened.”
The Israeli military said Wednesday that a soldier was killed in rocket fire from Lebanon, while Lebanese official media said three civilians and a Hezbollah fighter were killed in a series of Israeli strikes.
The violence comes after near daily but usually not lethal cross-border fire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
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The United States and France have been pushing a plan that hopes to keep Lebanon out of the Israel-Hamas conflict, including by bolstering Lebanon’s fledgling national forces.
Conflict ‘Not Irreversible’
French Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné, while addressing the French National Assembly, stated that the situation in Lebanon is “serious” but not “irreversible.” France is working to prevent the conflict between Hamas and Israel from escalating into a regional issue.
“The situation in Lebanon is serious, but it is not irreversible,” the French Foreign Minister said on Wednesday, on the day Israeli airstrikes resulted in several casualties south of the country. An Israeli soldier also lost her life in a rocket attack.
“France is actively involved in resolving the conflict, particularly to prevent escalation and a new war in Lebanon,” Séjourné stated during a hearing at the National Assembly.
During his recent visit to Israel and Lebanon, he presented “proposals” aimed at avoiding an open conflict.
According to diplomatic sources, this plan includes cessation of hostilities on both sides and having Hezbollah fighters withdraw 10 to 12 kilometers north of the border.
The French minister also assured that France is acting “relentlessly by conveying messages everywhere” to prevent escalation in the Middle East.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
