John Jefferson
The Biden administration is in discussions with Israel and other nations to secure a temporary ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hezbollah, amid fears of a wider war breaking out in the region, a U.S. official told Fox News.
The effort comes as Israel and the Iran-backed, Lebanon-based terror group continue to exchange intense missile fire.
“We know tensions are high, but we also see that there is a path forward for diplomacy, and that’s why you’re seeing this administration push so hard to get this done,” Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Wednesday.
The proposal is for a temporary ceasefire that would last a few weeks — the hope being that it could lead to something permanent. The plan began to come together following a Monday phone call between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.
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France has been involved in the discussions, as have other Arab countries with which the U.S. regularly partners, the official said.
The U.S. effort to secure the ceasefire isn’t tethered to efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages in Gaza, the official said.
Lebanese officials said a massive Israeli barrage killed at least 560 people on Monday, prompting thousands to flee southern Lebanon. Israeli forces have continued to carry out dozens of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets within Lebanon following months of attacks by the terror group targeting Israeli soil.
Hezbollah said it launched missiles at eight different targets within Israel early Tuesday. The Israeli military said it tracked 55 rockets fired out of Lebanon and landing in Israel.
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Israel has stated it does not want a war with Hezbollah, which has attacked its southern neighbor numerous times since the Israel-Hamas began on Oct. 7. However, the Israeli military has vowed to do “whatever is necessary” to repel the Iranian proxy from their northern border.
One Israeli airstrike recently killed Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi in an airstrike in Beirut. Qubaisi was a top commander in Hezbollah’s missile and rocket force.
Israel has conducted at least five targeted airstrikes in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
On Monday, the Pentagon announced an additional deployment of 40,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East.
“In light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region. But for operational security reasons, I’m not going to comment on or provide specifics,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during an off-camera gaggle.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
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