Biden calls for ceasefire amid reports Israel plans to invade Lebanon
Τhe US president has called for a ceasefire when asked about reports that Israel is preparing for a “limited” ground invasion of Lebanon. Joe Biden, asked if he was comfortable with Israel’s plan, replied: “I’m comfortable with them stopping.”
He did not elaborate on how the US plans to halt the conflict, or on the fact that it continues to provide Israel with weapons and billions of dollars in aid.
Blinken declares his support for diplomacy and Nasrallah assassination
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described the Hezbollah leader as a “brutal terrorist”, saying “the region, the world are safer without him”. His remarks came together with his insistence that “diplomacy remains the best and only path to achieving greater stability in the Middle East.”
He promised the United States would continue working “urgently” to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Pentagon says US still discussing ‘best way forward’ with Israel
The United States and Israel are still in discussions “about the best way forward”, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters, as she referred them to Israel for questions about whether it was planning a ground offensive in Lebanon.
“We’re continuing to engage with them, trying to learn more. We continue discussions on the best way forward,” Singh said at a news briefing. She said the US will send a “few thousand” additional troops to the region to boost security and defend Israel if needed.
The additional troops include squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16, A-10 and F-22 fighter jets and the personnel needed to support them, Singh said. The jets were supposed to rotate in and replace the squadrons already there. Instead, both the existing and new squadrons will remain in place to double the airpower on hand.
The jets are not there to assist in an evacuation, Singh said, but “are there for the protection of US forces”.
US envoy to UN: We want de-escalation in Middle East
The United States does not want to see violence spread in the Middle East and wants to see a de-escalation, the US envoy to the United Nations has said.
“We want to find a path to peace, so that Palestinians and Israelis have safety and Lebanese and Israelis living on the northern border find security and safety as well,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.
However, the administration of US President Joe Biden has been approving billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and military aid to Israel.
Critics have called on the US to cut off weapons transfers to Israel, alleging that they make the US complicit in the destruction of Gaza and bombardment of Lebanon.
Actions speak louder than words...
Talks of unlikely truce gives Netanyahu time for more aggression
Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, says a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon seems impossible at the moment.
“We can be delusional about it. We can maintain the wishful thinking. We can insist again and again, in order to keep up the appearance of wanting a ceasefire, in order to avoid speaking about a real issue here – aggression, war, violence, genocide,” he said.
He explained that talking of an unlikely truce gives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu time to carry out his ever-changing plans in Lebanon and Gaza.
“Israeli demands grow by the hour. They feel empowered because of the assassination attempts that succeeded, because of the detonation of communication devices that thousands upon thousands of Lebanese people, including many Hezbollah members,” Bishara concluded.
