US Warns All Parties Not To Escalate In The Middle East, Ensures Support For Israel

JAKARTA - The United States on Thursday warned all parties in the Middle East against escalation due to tensions between Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel, saying Washington's priority was to find a diplomatic solution.

"We will continue to support Israel's right to self-defense, but we do not want to see any party increase this conflict, period," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

While calling for calm, Miller acknowledged the limitations of US diplomacy.

"We have been involved in the area for some time, and of course, since October 7 we have been involved trying to defuse tensions. But in the end, yes, every country is responsible, and every entity is responsible for the actions they take," Miller explained.

A source familiar with the matter said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had postponed his planned trip to Israel next week. Miller declined to comment on Secretary of Defense Austin's schedule, but said Washington would resume talks with Israel.

"I would say, we continue to engage with our Israeli counterparts in this matter. As publicly reported, Amos Hochstein was just in Israel on Monday, urging a deescalation, urging a need for diplomatic resolution," Miller said.

The White House special envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel this week to discuss the crisis on the northern border, where Israeli forces launched missiles with Hezbollah forces for months.

The Middle East was in tense condition after a deadly attack that blew up the Lebanese-based radio and pager of the Hezbollah militant group, killing 37 people and injuring about 3,000 people, leaving hospitals in Lebanon packed with victims.

Lebanon and Hezbollah blamed Israel for the device's explosion, which Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrollah said "passed all red lines".

Security sources said the attack was likely carried out by Israeli spy agency Mossad, which has a long history of carrying out sophisticated attacks on foreign territory. Meanwhile, Israel has not yet commented on the attack directly.