US seeks to prevent Israel from fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon

As Iran's proxy terrorist organization Hezbollah continues to ramp up its attacks on Israel from Lebanon, the United States remains committed to preventing Israel from launching a full-scale military response to defend itself.

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his tour of the Middle East to stop the conflict from spreading to Lebanon, while anonymous White House officials warned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to wage a war with Hezbollah to save his political career.

“If the Gaza war ends tomorrow, Netanyahu’s political career will end with it, incentivizing him to broaden the conflict,” the unnamed U.S. officials told The Washington Post.

A senior Israeli government official told the Post that the prime minister's goal is to secure the future of Israel and its citizens.

“The prime minister will continue to take the necessary steps to secure Israel and its future,” the government official said.  

On Saturday morning, Hezbollah fired a barrage of some 40 rockets and missiles at the Israeli Air Force radar base located on Mount Meron, often referred to as the “eyes of the state.”

Some of the detection infrastructure in the air control unit was damaged but is being repaired, according to IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari on Sunday.

Netanyahu is not the only Israeli top leader hoping to end the Hezbollah threat, with multiple senior Israeli leaders stating that unless the Iranian proxy is moved away from the border with Israel by diplomatic means, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 established in 2006, the IDF will have to have to military action.

Tens of thousands of Israeli citizens from 42 communities in northern Israel have been evacuated from their homes to other parts of Israel out of fear of an escalation that could lead to an all-out war with Hezbollah terror forces. Israeli citizens in the north are afraid to return to their communities unless the threat from Hezbollah is eliminated.

On Sunday, Blinken said the U.S. has a “real concern” about the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

“We want to do everything possible to make sure that we don’t see escalation there,” he said.

War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz wrote a statement on his X account on Sunday that a coming war against Hezbollah is only about security; a statement that reiterated Israel's position and appeared to fend off accusations about Netanyahu's political motivation.

 “The only consideration here is Israel’s security, and nothing else. That is our duty to our country and our citizens,” Gantz wrote.

He stressed that the evacuated citizens of northern Israel cannot return to their homes as long as the Hezbollah threat looms across the border.

“The reality that the citizens of northern Israel cannot return to their homes - requires an urgent solution. The world must remember that it was the terrorist organization Hezbollah that initiated the escalation."

"Israel is interested in a diplomatic solution, but if one cannot be found - Israel and the IDF will remove the threat,” Gantz warned.