US knows Israel will do whatever is necessary to push Hezbollah back from northern border, official says

Israel will not wait for the US to green-light any military activity it chooses to take in order to push Hezbollah away from the Israel-Lebanon border, an Israeli official says in a briefing with reporters in Washington.

The official says that the US knows Israel will not allow the situation on the northern border — where Hezbollah forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts on a near daily basis — to remain as it is.

Israel is hoping that a solution can be reached through diplomatic measures, the official stresses, but will not hesitate to take military action if this proves to be impossible, the official says. They add that Israel is not prepared to give up territory to restore calm in the north.

Only once it is deemed safe for the tens of thousands of displaced people to return to their homes in northern Israel will the threat posed by Hezbollah be considered resolved, the official adds.