US seeks de-escalation as Israel moots Lebanon ground invasion

The United States distanced itself from Israel’s stepped-up attacks in Lebanon on Wednesday shortly after the Israeli army chief hinted at a ground invasion against Hezbollah.

"When it comes to Lebanon, the U.S. military has no involvement in Israel's operations," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters, adding that an Israeli incursion did not appear imminent.

Israel has been targeting Hezbollah positions inside Lebanon since Monday, killing hundreds and injuring thousands.

"We keep striking and hitting them everywhere," Israel’s military commander Herzi Halevi told troops on Wednesday. "Your military boots ... will enter enemy territory, enter villages that Hezbollah has prepared as large military outposts, with underground infrastructure, staging points, and launchpads into our territory and carry out attacks on Israeli civilians", he added.

Tensions in the region have escalated sharply, with Israeli air strikes targeting Hezbollah leaders and hitting hundreds of sites across Lebanon, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee from the border area.

Hezbollah in turn has launched rockets and missiles towards Israel.

A missile reached Tel Aviv for the first time, according to a spokesperson for the Israeli government, who said that the missile was intercepted by Israel’s aerial defense system.

Hezbollah said the target was Israel's vaunted intelligence agency, Mossad.

President Joe Biden acknowledged on Wednesday the risk of an all-out war in the Middle East but also expressed hope for a possible settlement to the escalating conflicts in Gaza and with Hezbollah.

Singh, the Pentagon spokesperson, described the administration’s diplomatic push as a “full-court press”.

The Biden administration has been trying to avoid a full-scale war for nearly a year since October 7.

“Escalating this to an all-out war seems counterproductive to the stated objectives [of the Israeli government] which is peace and security along that line,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said, referring to Israel's border with Lebanon.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Wednesday accused the U.S. of backing Israel's ramp up of bombings and air strikes in Lebanon, rejecting Washington’s repeated assertions that it had no prior knowledge of attacks against Iran and its regional allies.

“In this battle, the (Israeli) enemy is equipped with the most advanced resources, and the United States stands behind it,” Khamenei said Wednesday, in his first substantive reaction since Israel began days of crushing attacks against Hezbollah that have killed hundreds and injured thousands.