WASHINGTON: The United States has asked Israel to avoid Gaza-like military campaign in Lebanon, following Israel’s Prime Minister said it could face “destruction” like the Palestinian territory.
The remarks came following a phone call between Prime Minister Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, their first in seven weeks. The White House has said that President Biden told Netanyahu to “minimize harm” to civilian population in Lebanon, especially in “densely populated parts of Beirut”.
The U.S. State Department has warned that it would be unacceptable for Israel’s military intrusion in southern Lebanon to evolve into a condition similar to its attack of Gaza.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that they could not and must not see the situation in Lebanon turn into anything like the situation in the Gaza Strip, adding that would, of course, not be acceptable.
He expressed these remarks during a regular news briefing when asked regarding Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments on Tuesday.
Matthew Miller said that he is making very clear that there should be no type of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza Strip and leaves a result anything like Gaza.
Israel’s military operation in Gaza has killed around 42,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza’s health ministry. It has displaced about all its 2.3 million people and wrought a humanitarian crisis with widespread hunger and a complete breakdown in healthcare and critical infrastructure. Hezbollah started firing rockets into Israel last October 8, citing solidarity with Hamas.
Biden, Netanyahu Discuss Israel’s Plan for Potential Retaliation Against Tehran
US President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and discussed Israel’s plans for a potential retaliatory strike on Iran, as Israel weighs its response to last week’s missile attack by Iran.
The White House said that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Netanyahu. “This morning, President Biden spoke with Netanyahu. Vice President Harris also joined the call,” the White House said in a statement, adding a readout would be released later.
The call was the leaders’ first known chat since August and coincided with a sharp escalation of Israel’s conflict with both Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group with no sign of an imminent ceasefire to end the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
