The United States is leading a diplomatic effort to prevent Israel from attacking the Lebanese capital, Beirut, or other critical civilian infrastructure in retaliation for last week's deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights, according to five sources familiar with the effort.
Washington is scrambling to prevent a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese movement, after an attack on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed 12 teenagers and children over the weekend, according to five sources, including Lebanese and Iranian officials, as well as diplomats from the Middle East and Europe.
Israel and the US blamed Hezbollah for the rocket attacks, although the group denied the allegations.
The swift diplomatic effort aims to keep Israel from attacking densely populated Beirut, the city's southern suburbs that are Hezbollah's heartland, or critical infrastructure such as airports and bridges, said the source, who asked not to be identified.
Lebanon's deputy parliament speaker, Elias Bou Saab, said he had been in contact with US mediator Amos Hochstein since Saturday's Golan attack. He told Reuters that Israel could avoid the threat of a major escalation by keeping the capital and its surroundings safe.
“If they avoid attacking civilians and Beirut and its surroundings, then their actions can still be considered controlled,” he said.
Israeli officials say they aim to hurt Hezbollah without engaging in a full-blown war. But diplomats from the Middle East and Europe say Israel has not promised not to attack Beirut, its suburbs or civilian infrastructure.
The US State Department said it would not comment on diplomatic conversations, although it was seeking a “long-term solution” to end all cross-border attacks.
“Our support for Israel's security remains strong and unwavering against all Iranian-backed threats, including Hezbollah,” a spokesman told Reuters.
White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Israel had the right to respond to an attack on the Golan, but no one wanted to get involved in a wider war.
“We've had conversations over the weekend, and we've had conversations at various levels,” he added. “But I'm not going to go into the details of those conversations.”
The Israeli prime minister's office did not respond to a request for comment, while Hezbollah declined to comment.
Five people familiar with the diplomatic efforts in the past two days said the effort was aimed at achieving a measured approach, similar to the situation that occurred when Israel and Iran exchanged fire in April. That exchange was sparked by an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.
An Iranian official said the US had conveyed messages to Tehran at least three times since the attack on the Golan Heights on Saturday (27/7), “warning that escalating tensions would harm all parties.”
Hezbollah is a key force in Iran's “Axis of Resistance” network, which also includes regional proxies and is aligned with Hamas. Since the Gaza war began last October, Hezbollah and the Israeli military have been engaged in clashes along Lebanon's southern border.
During the 2006 war, which was the last major conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli forces bombarded Beirut's southern suburbs, destroying Hezbollah buildings, residential buildings, and Beirut's airport, as well as damaging infrastructure throughout Lebanon.
A French diplomat told Reuters that since the Golan attack, Paris had also appealed to Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate the situation.
France has historical ties with Lebanon, which was under French mandate from 1920 until independence in 1943. Since then, Paris has maintained close ties and there are currently 20,000 French citizens living in Lebanon, many of whom hold dual citizenship. (ah/ft)
