US does not want to see Israel-Hamas conflict expand into Lebanon: White House

Washington DC [US]: The United States does not want to see the Israel-Hamas conflict expand into Lebanon, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday (local time). She said that Hezbollah and other actors, including state and non-state should not take advantage of the ongoing conflict

Speaking to reporters en-route to Brunswick, Karine Jean-Pierre said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has highlighted how it is valuable to have a pause to get aid in and hostages out. She refused to share details regarding private diplomatic conversations.

Asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of calls for a ceasefire and Hezbollah leader’s remarks, Karine Jean-Pierre said, “let me just say, the first thing on the Prime Minister of Israel and the statement that he made. Look, this is something that we are going to continue to discuss with Israel. We’ve been clear about our position. You’ve heard that from Secretary Blinken today, even, and why it could be valuable to have a pause to get aid in and hostages out. And so, I’ll leave it at that. Not going to get into private diplomatic conversations.”

“But, we’ve been very clear. Again, as you saw, the Secretary of State Secretary Blinken is in Israel right now. He’s in the Middle East. And he spoke, you know, he’s been very clear very clear about this. So, I’ll leave it that. I’m not going to get into diplomatic conversation, he added.

Karine Jean-Pierre said that she is aware of Hezbollah leader’s speech and added that the US will not engage in a war of words. She said that the US does not seek escalation of the conflict that Hamas has brought on Israel.

“We obviously are aware of Hezbollah’s leader’s speech today. So, we will not engage in a war of words. That’s not what we’re going to do from here on Air Force One or even at the podium. The United States does not seek escalation. We’ve been clear about that a widening of the conflict that Hamas brought on to Israel,” Jean-Pierre said.

“And so, what I’ll say is this, that we and our partners have been clear: Hezbollah and other actors, state or non-state, should not take advantage of the ongoing conflict. This has the potential of becoming a bloodier war between Israel and Lebanon than in 2006. So, the United States does not want to see this conflict expand into Lebanon. The likely devastation for Lebanon and her people would be unimaginable and is avoidable. So again, we’ve been very, very clear about that part, as well. Like, you heard from the Secretary of State on these two things that I just laid out yesterday and again today,” she added.

In the same press briefing, Karine Jean-Pierre said US has been very clear that getting Americans home who have been held hostage has been a priority since Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7. She said that the US wants to bring hostages back to their homes. She spoke about Antony Blinken’s upcoming visit to Jordan.

“So, look, we’ve been very clear that getting Americans home who are being held hostage is a priority, and it has been a priority since these horrific events, since Hamas attacked Israel back on October 7. And so that is a priority. Obviously, this is a president who is optimistic. Those important diplomatic conversations are continuing to happen,” Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“As I mentioned, you see the Secretary himself, Secretary of State who is in Israel and is also going to be going to Jordan this weekend. So, they’ll, we’re going to continue to be optimistic. We’re going to make continue to make this a priority. We want to get the Americans and others who are being held hostage, we want to get them home to their families,” she added.

On Friday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against launching attacks on Lebanon, saying any further strikes on its territory would be a “foolish mistake”, The Times of Israel reported.

“I tell the Israelis, if you are considering carrying out a pre-emptive attack against Lebanon, it will be the most foolish mistake you make in your entire existence,” Hezbollah chief said.

He also said that a victory for Hamas in Gaza against Israel would be a victory for Palestinians and not for Iran and the Muslim community, The Times of Israel reported, adding that he described supporting Hamas in the ongoing fight against Israel as its ‘duty’.

“A victory for Gaza against Israel will not be a victory for Iran or the Muslim Brotherhood, it will be first and foremost a patriotic victory for Palestinians, but also for Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is therefore our duty to support Hamas in Gaza,” Nasrallah said.

According to the Israeli daily, the Hezbollah chief also urged Arab countries to halt oil exports to Israel and hailed his outfit’s military actions on the Israel-Lebanon border, boasting that their offensive has drawn IDF forces away from the war against Hamas, adding that “this is not the end.”