From the Liveblog of
Friday, September 20, 2024
Report: Growing concern in US that Israel could soon send troops into Lebanon
Pentagon officials are increasingly concerned that Israel may launch a ground war in southern Lebanon in the near future, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The paper says US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made comments to that effect in discussions earlier this week, and that the attacks on Hezbollah communications devices, widely attributed to Israel, had elevated such apprehensions.
Israel has warned over 11 months of Hezbollah cross-border attacks that full-scale war is increasingly possible if the terror group does not end its assaults on the north and withdraw from the border region.
The report says Austin and the State Department have continued to urge Israel to give more time for diplomacy. But the US fears things could soon spiral out of control.
