State Department spokesman Matthew Miller warned Israel on Wednesday.
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The United States warned Israel on Wednesday against any offensive in Lebanon that “resembles” what happened in the Gaza Strip, where Washington is also concerned about access to humanitarian aid, especially in the north.
“I say very clearly that there should not be any military action in Lebanon that looks like Gaza and has an outcome that looks like Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Netanyahu threatened Lebanon to end up like Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Lebanese on Tuesday to “save” their country by freeing it from Hezbollah, threatening, otherwise, Lebanon with the same “destruction and suffering” as in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian territory has been ravaged by a year of relentless war waged by Israel in retaliation for the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
After a campaign of massive airstrikes launched on September 23 on Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon, Israel has been leading a ground offensive in the south of the country since September 30, expanded this week to the coastal areas of southwest Lebanon.
US support for “limited” operations
The spokesperson for American diplomacy reiterated the United States’ support for “limited” operations by the Israeli army aimed at destroying the military capabilities of Hezbollah, while saying he was in favor of a “diplomatic solution” in the long term.
The United States also said it was “extremely concerned” about access to humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the north of the Palestinian territory, where the Israeli army is carrying out intense bombardments and has closed roads.
“We are extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip, particularly the humanitarian situation in the north, and I can tell you that it has been the subject of very urgent discussions between our two governments ” said Miller.
Israel has “an obligation under international humanitarian law to allow food, water and other forms of humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza, and we expect it to respect its obligations” , he added.
Operations in Gaza: “a large number” of dead
The territory’s Civil Defense indicated that the Israeli army carried out intense bombardments on Wednesday in the north of the Gaza Strip and continued ground operations there.
These operations, targeting Jabalia in particular, caused “a large number” of deaths, said Ahmad al-Kahlout, director of Civil Defense in northern Gaza.
On Sunday, the Israeli army announced it was surrounding the Jabalia area and called for further evacuations from the area on Tuesday, saying Hamas was seeking to rebuild its capabilities there, a year after the start of the war.
The American spokesperson considered that Israel had the right to continue to attack the Palestinian Islamist movement, while emphasizing that Washington was opposed to operations “in perpetuity”.
(afp)
