During a telephone interview with the Israeli Prime Minister this Wednesday, October 9, the American president asked Israel to “reduce as much as possible the impact on civilians” in Lebanon, the White House said.
Joe Biden asked Benjamin Netanyahu this Wednesday, October 9, to “reduce as much as possible the impact on civilians” in Lebanon, particularly in Beirut, while “affirming Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah,” according to a report of their telephone conversation of the day.
This White House statement does not provide details on Israel’s expected response to the Iranian missile attack on October 1, but emphasizes that the American president and the Israeli prime minister agreed to “stay in close contact over the coming days, directly and through their teams of national security advisors.
Joe Biden, who had not spoken directly to the Israeli leader for seven weeks, “underlined the need for a diplomatic solution” to allow the return of the civilian populations of northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
“Limited land incursions”
The United States, on the other hand, is no longer calling, as it did ten days ago, for a ceasefire in Lebanon, saying on the contrary to support the Israeli offensive, building on its recent successes since the assassination of leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
But they fear a Gaza-like scenario and are trying to regulate the Israeli response.
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 the southwest.
“So far, we have seen limited land incursions on the ground,” said American diplomatic spokesperson Matthew Miller on Wednesday.
“We’re going to continue to have conversations with the Israeli government about this, because I think it’s obvious that there’s a point where what they’re doing now will turn into something different that will have political implications evident inside Lebanon, as well as a humanitarian impact on the Lebanese people,” he added.