White House: War With Hezbollah Or Iran Is Not A Way To Repeat Residents In Northern Israel

JAKARTA - Israel will not be able to safely return people to their homes in the north of the country by launching an all-out war with Hezbollah or Iran, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday.

Israel attacked more targets in Lebanon on Sunday, suppressing Hezbollah with a new attack after killing the leader of the Iran-backed group, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

The goal, according to Israel, is to make the northern region safe from Hezbollah rocket fire and allow thousands of displaced residents to return.

"The all-out war with Hezbollah, especially with Iran, is not the way to do that. If you want to bring those people back home safely and sustainably, we believe that diplomatic lines are the right path," Kirby told CNN..

The United States, which is Israel's longtime ally and largest arms supplier, is observing what Hezbollah is doing to fill its leadership vacuum "and continues to talk to Israel about the next precise steps," he said.

Lebanese Health Ministry said more than 1,000 Lebanese were killed and 6,000 others injured in the past two weeks. The government says one million people, a fifth of the population, have fled their homes.

"We don't cover up the fact that we don't always see tactical executions in the same way they do in terms of (civilized) protection," Kirby said, adding US support for Israel's security was very strong.

Earlier, Iran said on Saturday it would defend its national and security interests but did not provide details. They asked the United Nations Security Council to meet to discuss Israel's actions.

"We have seen the rhetoric coming out of Tehran. We will observe and see what they are doing," Kirby said.