A top U.S. envoy said in Beirut Tuesday that Washington doesn’t want the ongoing war in Gaza to expand to Lebanon, as a Lebanese woman and her three granddaughters were laid to rest two days after they were killed in an Israeli strike.
Quick Read
- U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Beirut: U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein is in Beirut to discuss regional tensions.
- Concern Over Conflict Spread: Washington emphasizes the need to prevent the Gaza conflict from extending to Lebanon.
- Lebanon-Israel Border Tensions: Clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces are noted.
- Hezbollah-Israel Fire Exchange: Recent skirmishes follow after a month of tensions post the Gaza war commencement.
- Civilian Casualties: A Lebanese woman and her granddaughters were killed by an Israeli drone strike.
- Retaliation and Casualty in Israel: Hezbollah responds to the strike with rocket fire, resulting in a fatality in Kiryat Shmona.
- Funeral in Blida: The community mourns the deaths, amid calls for civilian protection.
- Hezbollah’s Stance on Engagement: The group affirms a policy of targeting Israeli civilians if Lebanese civilians are killed.
- Israel’s View of Hezbollah: Israel regards the Shiite militant group as a significant threat, highlighting their arsenal.
The Associated Press has the story:
US envoy flies to Beirut, says Washington doesn’t want Gaza war to expand
Newslooks- BLIDA, Lebanon (AP)
A top U.S. envoy said in Beirut Tuesday that Washington doesn’t want the ongoing war in Gaza to expand to Lebanon, as a Lebanese woman and her three granddaughters were laid to rest two days after they were killed in an Israeli strike.
The comments from Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden come during a previously unannounced visit to Beirut to discuss the volatile situation with Lebanon’s parliament speaker and caretaker prime minister.
Hochstein told reporters after meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that restoring calm along Lebanon’s southern border is of “utmost importance.”
Hochstein said he heard Berri’s concerns over the tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border where fighters of the militant group Hezbollah and their allies have been exchanging fire with Israeli troops for about a month, after the Israel-Hamas war started on Oct.7.
“The United States does not want to see conflict in Gaza escalating and expanding into Lebanon,” Hochstein said in a brief statement. He did not take questions from journalists.
Hochstein’s comments came as the Israeli military and Hezbollah exchanged fire on Tuesday following what Israel said was the targeting of one of its posts along the Lebanese border. The clashes along the border have intensified since Israel launched a ground incursion into Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah.
On Sunday, an Israeli drone strike hit a civilian car killing the woman and her three granddaughters. Hezbollah retaliated by firing rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, killing one person.
In the southern village of Blida near the border, hundreds of men and women marched before the four coffins, draped in black and white banners, were carried Tuesday for burial in the local cemetery.
Large posters of Samira Abdul-Hussein Ayoub and her three granddaughters — Rimas Shor, 14; Talin Shor, 12; and Layan Shor, 10 — were displayed in the cemetery in the southeastern town of Blida. The three girls’ mother, Hoda Hijazi, was wounded in the attack and is still undergoing treatment in a hospital.
Hezbollah officials have warned that if Israel kills Lebanese civilians, it will retaliate by attacking civilian targets.
“Protecting civilians is a main pillar of the rules of engagement with the enemy,” Hezbollah legislator Ali Fayad said during the funeral.
Israel considers the Iran-backed Shiite militant group its most serious immediate threat and estimates that Hezbollah has around 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel. The group also has different types of drones and surface-to-sea missiles.
