The United States is leading a diplomatic effort to deter Israel from striking Beirut or major civilian infrastructure in response to a deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights. Washington is racing to prevent a full-scale war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah after the attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan killed 12 youths over the weekend. Five individuals familiar with the initiative, which include Lebanese and Iranian officials, along with Middle Eastern and European diplomats, told Reuters about the US-led efforts.
Israel and the US have blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike, although the group has denied responsibility. Hezbollah, the most powerful faction within Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” network of regional proxy groups, is allied with the Palestinian group Hamas. It has been exchanging fire with the Israeli military across Lebanon’s southern border since the Gaza war erupted last October.
The primary focus of the intense diplomatic efforts has been to urge Israel against targeting densely populated Beirut, the southern suburbs that form Hezbollah’s heartland, or critical infrastructure such as airports and bridges, sources were cited as saying.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Israel had every right to respond to the Golan strike, but stressed that nobody wanted a broader war. “As for conversations over the weekend, you bet we’ve had them and we had them at multiple levels,” he said. “But I’m not going to detail the specifics of those conversations.”
A French diplomat told Reuters that since the Golan attack, Paris had also been involved in passing messages between Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate the situation. France, which has historical ties with Lebanon dating back to its mandate from 1920 until independence in 1943, has about 20,000 citizens in the country, many of whom are dual nationals.
Lebanon’s Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab, who said he had been in contact with US mediator Amos Hochstein since Saturday’s Golan attack, told Reuters that Israel could avoid major escalation by sparing the capital and its environs. “If they avoid civilians and they avoid Beirut and its suburbs, then their attack could be well calculated,” he said.
Israeli officials have indicated a desire to weaken Hezbollah without dragging the region into a full-blown war. However, the two Middle Eastern and European diplomats noted that Israel had made no commitment to avoiding strikes on Beirut, its suburbs, or civilian infrastructure.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, which comprises 10 ministers and has dictated policy on the Gaza war and Hezbollah, authorised the premier and the defence minister to “decide on the manner and timing of the response” against Hezbollah. This decision, coupled with the abstention of Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners – Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – suggests that Israel has opted for a response short of the all-out war that some politicians have advocated for.
