US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (L) and Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant give a joint press conference in Tel Aviv on December 18, 2023.
Dec 18,
2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Tel Aviv.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on
Monday urged Iran-backed movement Hezbollah to avoid provoking a "wider
conflict" amid near-daily skirmishes along the Israel-Lebanon border since
Israel's war with Hamas.
The frontier has seen escalating cross-border fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which says it is acting in support of Hamas.
"We call upon Hezbollah to make sure that they don't do things that
would provoke a wider conflict," Austin said at a joint press conference
with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
"We've been clear that we don't want to see this conflict widen into a
larger war or a regional war," Austin said.
Asked if Israel was planning for a ground operation in the north, Gallant said "diplomacy is the preferred way" but stressed "we are preparing ourselves (for) any situation that is needed."
Since the
Israel-Hamas war began in early October, more than 130 people have been killed
in hostilities on the Lebanese side of the frontier, according to an AFP tally,
most of them Hezbollah fighters but also including a Lebanese soldier and 17
civilians, three of them journalists.
On the
Israeli side of the border, five civilians and seven soldiers have been killed,
authorities have said.
AFP, Gulf News