Pentagon says US not providing intel help for Israeli operations against Hezbollah
‘No. No support,’ stresses spokesperson for Defense Department when asked about American military assistance for Israel in Lebanon, adds no signs of imminent IDF ground offensive
WASHINGTON — The US military is not providing intelligence support to Israel for its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh also said no Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon appeared imminent, but referred reporters to Israel for questions about its operations and plans.
Asked about whether the United States was supporting Israel’s operations in Lebanon, including with intelligence support, Singh said: “No. No support.”
“When it comes to Lebanon, the US military has no involvement in Israel’s operations,” Singh said.
It was unclear whether Singh’s remarks applied to the sharing of any real-time US intelligence on Hezbollah missiles that might be heading toward Israel.
Israel’s military chief told troops on Wednesday that airstrikes in Lebanon would continue in order to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure and to prepare the way for a possible ground operation by Israeli forces.
Singh said the United States government was making diplomatic efforts to deescalate the situation between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli airstrikes this week have targeted Hezbollah leaders and hit hundreds of sites deep inside Lebanon, where hundreds of thousands have fled the border region, while the group has fired barrages of rockets into Israel.
“You’re seeing a full-court press here from the United States government and this administration. We want to see a diplomatic solution, and we want to see it urgently,” Singh added.
US President Joe Biden said an all-out war was possible in the Middle East but there was also the possibility of a settlement in Israel’s conflicts against Hamas in Gaza and with Hezbollah.
The United States and France are trying to hammer out an interim accord to halt hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah with a view to opening broader diplomatic talks, Cyprus’s President Nikos Christodoulides added.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
