US President Joe Biden called for a ceasefire in Lebanon on Monday, but a US official said the Israeli troop deployment suggests a ground offensive against Hezbollah militants may be imminent.
Asked about reports that Israeli ground troops were preparing to move into southern Lebanon, Biden told reporters he was “comfortable with stopping them (Israel).”
Several top aides reinforced Biden’s call for a ceasefire by urging a diplomatic solution to the violence to allow thousands of displaced Israelis and Lebanese to return to their homes across the border.
“Washington will continue to work with our allies in the region and around the world to pursue diplomatic solutions,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a State Department conference.
But a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israeli troop positions observed by the United States suggest a ground incursion into Lebanon may be imminent.
The official declined to comment further or provide details on the posture of Israeli forces.
The US call for de-escalation comes after two weeks of Israeli airstrikes and the killing on Friday of Hezbollah commanders, including the Iran-backed group’s leader Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah.
Israeli officials say they will take the necessary steps to repatriate about 70,000 civilians evacuated from northern Israeli communities on October 8 after Hezbollah launched rocket attacks from Gaza in support of Hamas’ attack on Israel the previous day.
Speaking to troops deployed on Israel’s northern border, Defense Minister Yoav Galant hinted at a possible ground incursion.
Gallant said, “We will use all the means that may be needed – your forces, other forces, by air, by sea and on land. Good luck.”
The Biden administration fears Nasrallah’s killing and further Israeli military action could spark a broader regional conflict.
The US envoy to the UN urged continued diplomacy to stop violence in Lebanon and Gaza.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters, “We want to find a path to peace, so that Palestinians and Israelis have security, and Lebanese and Israelis living on the northern border also have security.”
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