US: We told Israel we opposed their near-daily strikes in densely-populated Beirut

The United States has raised concerns with Israel over its bombing campaign in Beirut in past weeks, the State Department says, adding that strikes have diminished in recent days and Washington would continue to watch very carefully.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says while there are strikes the US would consider appropriate for Israel to carry out, Washington made clear to the government of Israel it had concerns with the nature of the bombing campaign seen in the past few weeks, largely due to the civilian toll.

“We’ve told Israel very directly that we oppose their near-daily strikes here in densely populated areas in Beirut,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says in a separate briefing.

“We understand that they’re conducting targeted operations designed to go after Hezbollah infrastructure, and we recognize that they have a right to do that, but they also have a commensurate responsibility to do it in a way that doesn’t threaten the lives of civilians, UN peacekeepers or members of the Lebanese armed forces who have suffered some casualties here,” Kirby says. “It’s unacceptable, and we’ve pressed the Israelis for more details about that.”