White House ‘confident’ Israel and Hezbollah can avoid war

The Biden administration said Monday it is confident an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah can be avoided, and it is engaging Israeli and Lebanese counterparts to calm tensions in the region. 

“Nobody wants a broader war, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to avoid such an outcome,” said John Kirby, the White House National Security Council communications adviser, in a call with reporters.

Kirby defended Israel’s right to strike back at Hezbollah after a rocket attack on Sunday by the U.S.-designated terrorist group that hit a soccer field in northern Israel. It killed a dozen young people and injured about 30 others. 

Israel has carried out some strikes across Lebanon in response, but a more substantial retaliation is expected following an Israeli Security Council meeting that gave authority to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to “decide on the manner and timing of the response against the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”

The Associated Press reported an official with Hezbollah said the group was moving precision-guided missiles but did not want an all-out war with Israel.

Kirby said U.S. officials have been in contact with Israeli and Lebanese officials to reduce tensions. 

“There’s no reason, in our view, that this has to lead to some dramatic escalation, that there’s still time and space for diplomacy,” Kirby said.

“We’ve been in continuous discussions with our Israeli and Lebanese counterparts and the United States will continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along that Blue Line that will, number one, end these terrible attacks once and for all, and number two, allow Israeli and Lebanese citizens on both sides of the border to safely return to their homes,” Kirby continued.

The Blue Line refers to the boundary line between Israel and Lebanon and established by United Nations Security Council resolutions that sought to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in 2000. The last major war between the two occurred in 2006.  

Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed military and political group that controls southern Lebanon, began striking at Israel in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack. Even as back-and-forth strikes between Israel and Hezbollah have displaced tens of thousands of people on each side of the border, and resulted in death and destruction, the fighting is considered largely contained.

The prospect of an all-out war is considered highly devastating for both sides. Lebanon, generally considered a failed state with widespread corruption and in economic crisis, would likely fall into further ruin under a massive Israeli aerial assault and potential ground invasion. 

And Hezbollah has expanded its weapons arsenal, which puts Israel’s entire population within striking distance and with minimal time to seek shelter.