White House warns against 'escalation' of conflict amid reports of Israel 'notifiying' US about Lebanon blasts

White House warned all sides against escalation in the Middle East conflict after two waves of device explosions jolted Lebanon, especially its militant group Hezbollah. The attacks were attributed to Israel as the Jewish nation claimed that it is entering the “new phase” of the conflict.

“We still don’t want to see an escalation of any kind. We don’t believe that the way to solve where we’re at in this crisis is by additional military operations at all,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters when asked about the situation in the Middle East.

“We still believe that the best way to prevent escalation, to prevent another front from opening up in Lebanon, is through diplomacy,” he added. The remarks from Kirby came after reports emerged that the US was “notified” by Israel about the attacks; however, the details of the plan were kept behind the curtain.

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US comes to Israel’s defence

When asked if Israel was adhering to International humanitarian laws, if it conducts such attacks, Kirby reiterated that the Jewish nation has the right to defend itself.

“As we have said from the very beginning, Israel has a right to defend itself.” “How they do so matters to us, and we don’t shy away from having those kinds of conversations with the Israelis as appropriate," he added without confirming Israel’s involvement. Meanwhile, the US official made it clear that the White House was not involved in the incident. “We were not involved in yesterday’s incidents or today’s in any way," he emphasised.

Reports say otherwise 

While Kirby tries to take the US out of the situation, three sources close to the matter told CNN that Israeli officials notified the US that the country was going to carry out an operation in Lebanon on Tuesday. However, the Jewish nation did not give any details about what they were planning.

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The sources stated that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a telephone conversation on Tuesday morning. At least 20 people lost their lives and over 450 were injured in Lebanon on Wednesday after walkie-talkies detonated in a fresh wave of explosions, one day after the pager blasts killed at least 12 people.

The explosions came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was travelling from Washington to Cairo. However, this is not the first time Israel has taken provocative action while Blinken is on a visit to the Middle East. Following the incident, Blinken clarified that the US “did not know about nor was it involved in these incidents.” The US confirmed the same to Iran, urging Tehran to not escalate the ongoing crisis.

With inputs from agencies.