Pentagon says no US support for Israeli offensive operations as Lebanon tensions rise
US believes invasion or Israeli attempts to create a so-called “buffer zone” inside of Lebanon will not result in the return of Israeli residents to the north
The US defense secretary spoke to his Israeli counterpart four times this week, a sign of how concerned the Biden administration is about an escalatory pattern along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Israeli officials have upped their rhetoric and threats of a looming military campaign along the border, which they think will allow for the return of tens of thousands of residents to the north.
Washington has a different take, and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, among others in the US government, has been relaying that message publicly and privately. The US believes a land invasion or Israeli attempts to create a so-called “buffer zone” inside of Lebanon will not result in the return of Israeli residents to the north, something which the Israeli government has said is a new goal of theirs. In separate meetings this week with US President Joe Biden’s aide, Amos Hochstein, this message was relayed to embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the defense minister. Biden has tasked Hochstein with ensuring that the Lebanon-Israel border exchanges do not escalate further.
Austin spoke to Yoav Gallant for the first time on Sunday. The Pentagon published a readout of the call on Monday, and Austin posted a clear statement on X, part of which read: “Israel should support diplomatic negotiations to de-escalate tensions with Lebanese Hizballah along the Lebanon-Israel border.”
Other senior Pentagon officials have also been in touch with their Israeli counterparts to understand better what their thinking was and is going forward.
Around 70,000 Israelis are believed to have been forced to leave the northern part of Israel and seek refuge further south. On the other side, around 100,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and move further north or closer to the capital of Beirut.
Austin and the Pentagon have repeatedly reaffirmed their support for Israel’s right to defend itself, but they have pressed the Israelis against an invasion or expanded military campaign inside Lebanon.
The Pentagon’s readout of the first Austin-Gallant call said Austin noted “the devastating consequences that escalation would have on the people of Israel, Lebanon, and the broader region.”
Less than 48 hours later, Israel began a highly sophisticated attack across Lebanon, targeting the pagers, walkie-talkies and other communications devices used by Hezbollah. in total so far.
The attack began on Tuesday around two hours after Austin and Gallant spoke for the second time this week. Gallant gave Austin an advance notice that an attack would take place but left him out of the loop with any further details.
Shortly after news broke of the attack, Austin spoke to Gallant again. The Pentagon did not initially report the second call of the day, the third of this week. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed that four calls took place since Sunday when asked by Al Arabiya English.
