Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has warned that a decision on an all-out war with Hezbollah was coming soon, even as the United States tries to avert any escalation, Reuters reports.
US envoy Amos Hochstein was sent to Lebanon to try and cool tensions following an increase in cross-border fire along Lebanon’s southern frontier that has escalated to Hezbollah hinting it could attack Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the United States did not want to see a wider regional war in the Middle East. Hochstein, special envoy to US President Joe Biden, said he had been dispatched to Lebanon immediately following a brief trip to Israel because the situation was “serious”.
“We have seen an escalation over the last few weeks. And what President Biden wants to do is avoid a further escalation to a greater war,” Hochstein said on Tuesday.
He had met the head of Lebanon’s army earlier on Tuesday and spoke to reporters following a meeting with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the armed Amal movement, which is allied to Hezbollah and has also fired rockets on Israel.
The US and France are engaged in diplomatic efforts to secure a negotiated end to the hostilities along Lebanon’s border