Despite US calls to halt ground offensives in Lebanon, Israel has launched “targeted” raids on the country – further proof that Washington is unable to rein in its ally, amid fears of a wider Middle East conflict. Used to be.
The US President signaled on Monday that he is opposed to Israeli ground operations in Lebanon, calling for a ceasefire amid rising tensions following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
When Biden was asked by reporters if he was aware of Israeli plans for limited operations on Lebanese soil, he said, “I’m more aware than you probably know, and I’m comfortable with them stopping. We now need a ceasefire.” Should do.”
A few hours later, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel had informed Washington that it was currently conducting “limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.”
And the Israeli military confirmed early Tuesday that it had indeed launched “ground attacks” on villages in southern Lebanon.
It felt like deja vu all over again.
Whenever the United States calls for a negotiated settlement or ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to respond by intensifying his military offensive.
Last week, as the ink was barely dry on a joint US-French statement on the sidelines of a top-level UN summit calling for a three-week ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Netanyahu called for fresh airstrikes against the Iran-backed militant group. Announced. Next day.
Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at US Foreign Policy, wrote, “The Biden administration has been largely mute to these events – having provided Israel with the military means to conduct these operations, but that has repeatedly been surprised by its own actions.” It has happened.” At the Middle East Institute.
At the United Nations on Friday, the contradiction was striking: As Netanyahu approved the strike against Nasrallah, threatening a wider regional conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken again called on all sides to choose diplomacy.
“The question is not whether Israel has the right to deal with existential threats to its security and enemies across its borders with a declared intent to destroy Israel? Of course it does.
“But the question is what is the best way to achieve our objectives,” Blinken said, reiterating the US position expressed shortly after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year.
Israel seeks to capitalize
Of course, there are no tears in Washington over Nasrallah’s demise. Blinken called him a “brutal terrorist” on Monday.
But the United States regrets to say that it was neither consulted nor aware of Israel’s plans to strike prematurely.
He made a similar statement after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in an attack on Israel in Iran in late July.
Now, diplomats say, Israel is clearly trying to take advantage of its position, having inflicted significant damage on Hezbollah in a series of attacks, and driving Hamas into Gaza.
Meanwhile, Washington is still hoping that diplomacy will continue in both Gaza and Lebanon.
Blinken said Monday, “Diplomacy is the best and only way to achieve greater stability in the Middle East” and Washington is “committed to pursuing these efforts urgently.”
Blinken spoke with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot on Sunday, who called on Israel to refrain from any ground action – a call that apparently went unheeded.
The US secretary of state also spoke with Britain’s David Lammy on Monday and held talks with counterparts from Arab states on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting in Washington of the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
Blinken aides have long insisted that Washington respect Israel’s sovereignty, and tacitly acknowledge that US influence over Netanyahu is limited.
Events on the ground appear to be occurring at a more rapid pace, and the United States is unable to intervene effectively, meaning that Israel’s top military and diplomatic ally is on the backfoot, and only on the crisis. Is reacting.
So far, Biden has refused to play the military aid card to coerce Netanyahu, except by suspending a delivery of bombs in May.
The US election calendar complicates matters as Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden’s successor, is vying for the White House with Republican former President Donald Trump.
The Biden administration hopes to reach a Middle East peace deal before the election, but some observers believe it is prepared to change its strategy closer to Election Day on November 5.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)