White House: IDF raids in Lebanon ‘in line with Israel’s right to defend citizens’

A White House National Security Council spokesperson tells Times of Israel that the limited raids that the IDF launched against Hezbollah posts on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line are “in line with Israel’s right to defend its citizens and safely return civilians to their homes.”

“We support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah and all Iranian-backed terror groups,” the NSC spokesperson says.

“Of course, we know that mission creep can be a risk and we will keep discussing that with the Israelis,” the spokesperson adds, referring to the US concern that Israel will get bogged down in Lebanon or be drawn to expand its mission once it’s already in motion.

“Ultimately, a diplomatic resolution is the only way to achieve lasting stability and security across the Israel-Lebanon border,” the statement says, stressing the US belief that military means alone won’t restore security to Israel’s northern or southern border towns.

The White House statement echoes an earlier Pentagon readout expressing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s support for “dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities.”