By Simon Lewis, Kanishka Singh and Andrea Shalal
TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -America on Sunday blamed Lebanon-based Hezbollah for a rocket assault within the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 kids and youngsters on a soccer discipline whereas elevating the specter of a wider struggle within the Center East.
Israel additionally blamed Hezbollah and stated it could strike onerous in opposition to the Iran-backed group after the assault on Saturday, however Hezbollah has denied any duty.
The strike raised fears of a wider battle within the area the place tensions have intensified as a result of Israel’s struggle in Gaza. That onslaught, which started greater than 9 months in the past, has killed tens of 1000’s and induced a large humanitarian disaster all through the slim coastal enclave.
“This attack was conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah. It was their rocket, and launched from an area they control,” the White Home stated in a press release on Sunday. It added that Washington has been in discussions with Israeli and Lebanese officers since Saturday’s assault, which it condemned and described as “horrific.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Sunday he doesn’t need to see an escalation of battle on Israel’s northern border and reiterated U.S. help for Israel.
“I emphasize (Israel’s) right to defend its citizens and our determination to make sure that they’re able to do that,” Blinken stated throughout a information convention in Tokyo. “But we also don’t want to see the conflict escalate. We don’t want to see it spread.”
The White Home stated Washington was engaged on a diplomatic resolution to finish assaults on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Vice President Kamala Harris’s nationwide safety adviser Phil Gordon stated on Sunday that the presidential candidate has been briefed and is intently monitoring the state of affairs.
“Israel continues to face severe threats to its security, and the Vice President’s support for Israel’s security is ironclad,” Gordon stated in a press release.
Blinken stated he was saddened by the lack of life and added that reaching a ceasefire deal within the struggle in Gaza might assist calm the state of affairs on Israel’s border with Lebanon.
“It’s so important that we help defuse that conflict, not only prevent it from escalating, prevent it from spreading, but to defuse it because you have so many people in both countries, in both Israel and Lebanon, who’ve been displaced from their homes,” Blinken stated.
America, Qatar and Egypt have sought to mediate within the dispute. However Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza, have but to forge a everlasting ceasefire in Gaza.
U.S. Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer on Sunday echoed Blinken’s assertion. “Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah like they do against Hamas,” Schumer advised CBS Information in an interview.
“I don’t think anyone wants a wider war. So I hope there are moves to de-escalate,” Schumer added.
