US warns Israel against hitting Beirut

(JNS) — The Biden administration has warned Israel against targeting Beirut in response to Hezbollah’s rocket attack on Saturday that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights.

Washington fears that Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital could lead to a major escalation, Axios reported on Sunday.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, tasked with the Lebanon portfolio by President Joe Biden earlier in his administration, spoke to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday, stressing that Jerusalem has a right to defend itself against the Iranian terror proxy, but must avoid an all-out war and minimize civilian casualties.

An Israeli official told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that Hochstein expressed concern that if Beirut is targeted, Hezbollah would respond by firing long-range rockets at Israel, leading to further escalation and the situation likely “spiraling out of control.”

“We definitely think an IDF strike on Beirut is a potential red line for Hezbollah,” a U.S. official told Ravid.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Gallant on Monday, emphasizing the administration’s concern about further escalation.

According to the readout of the call provided by State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller, Blinken expressed his sympathies to those killed in the Hezbollah attack on the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams and wished a speedy recovery to those who were wounded.

“The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security against threats from Iranian-backed terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah,” according to the readout.

“He emphasized the importance of preventing escalation of the conflict and discussed efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to allow citizens on both sides of the border between Israel and Lebanon to return home.”

The two men also discussed ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and return the hostages. Blinken underscored “the U.S. commitment to securing lasting peace and stability in the region.”

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement on Sunday backed Israel’s conclusion that Hezbollah was responsible for the deadly rocket strike.

“It was their rocket, and launched from an area they control. It should be universally condemned,” she said.

Watson said that the United States supports Israel “against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah” and that the Biden administration is working on a diplomatic solution for the Israeli-Lebanese border “that will end all attacks once and for all, and allow citizens on both sides of the border to safely return to their homes.”

Blinken said on Sunday that all evidence pointed to Hezbollah being responsible for the attack.

“Every indication is that indeed the rocket was from Hezbollah. We stand by Israel’s right to defend its citizens from terror attacks,” the top American diplomat said in Japan.

Israel’s Security Cabinet on Sunday night authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gallant to retaliate against Hezbollah for Saturday’s deadly strike.

During a four-hour meeting at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, lawmakers gave Netanyahu and Gallant the green light “to decide on the manner and timing of the response” against the Lebanese terrorist organization.

German flag carrier Lufthansa on Monday announced the suspension of flights to and from Beirut amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The postponement of five routes until July 30 applies to Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Swiss flag carrier Swiss International Air Lines and Eurowings. The Lufthansa Group said that the decision to suspend operations at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport was taken out of “an abundance of caution.”

Other airlines canceled flights scheduled to land in Beirut on Monday, while France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Norway urged citizens to leave Lebanon.

Israel hit Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on the second day of the 2006 Second Lebanon War against Hezbollah, striking all three runways at Lebanon’s only airport and putting it out of commission.

Airport workers told The Telegraph last month that Hezbollah is storing massive amounts of Iranian armament at the airport.

Hezbollah has been accused of using the Beirut airport for weapon storage in the past, but whistleblowers say it has ramped up the practice since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.

“This is extremely serious, mysterious large boxes arriving on direct flights from Iran are a sign that things got worse,” an airport worker told the Telegraph. “When they started to come through the airport, my friends and I were scared because we knew that there was something strange going on.”

He feared that an explosion, or an attack on the airport to destroy the weapons, could cause major damage to Beirut, similar to the 2020 port blast that devastated much of downtown. That explosion was blamed on a weapons warehouse belonging to Hezbollah.