The US Does Not Support New War In Lebanon Between Israel And Hezbollah

White House (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The White House said it did not support the new war in Lebanon and stressed that restoring calm along the border was a top priority. This was stated as tensions continued to rise between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel has carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah and other groups. The attack has reached further into Lebanon.

Israel's latest attack killed 18 civilians and paramedics in a series of airstrikes in Habbariyeh,batybek, and Naqura on Wednesday (27/3). The cities are in eastern Lebanon with 47bek being the northernmost.

A series of retaliatory missile attacks from Hezbollah killed one person in Israel.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the US was closely monitoring the fighting along the border, emphasizing the Biden administration "with great clarity we do not support the war in Lebanon. We don't want that to happen."

"Restoring calm along the border remains a top priority for President Biden and the government. We believe this should also be the most important thing for Lebanon and Israel," he said, quoting Antara.

"We will continue to work to achieve a diplomatic resolution that will allow Israelis and Lebanese to return to their homes in a safe and comfortable state, and stay there," Kirby added.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Thursday said it intends to file a complaint against Israel for targeting civilians and paramedics.

Tensions raged along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid a shootout between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, which was the deadliest clash since the two sides engaged in a full-scale war in 2006.

Israel-Lebanon escalation took place amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 32,500 Palestinians following a cross-border attack led by Hamas on October 7 that killed 1,139 people.

More than 300 people are estimated to have died in Lebanon, including at least 247 Hezbollah fighters. Nearly 20 Israelis have been killed, according to Israeli data.