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 youngsters and youngsters on a soccer area whereas elevating the specter of a wider battle within the Center East.
Israel additionally blamed Hezbollah and mentioned it might strike exhausting towards 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 resulting from Israel’s battle in Gaza. That onslaught, which started greater than 9 months in the past, has killed tens of hundreds and brought about an enormous humanitarian disaster all through the slender coastal enclave.
“This attack was conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah. It was their rocket, and launched from an area they control,” the White Home mentioned 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 mentioned on Sunday he doesn’t wish 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 mentioned 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 mentioned Washington was engaged on a diplomatic answer to finish assaults on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Blinken mentioned he was saddened by the lack of life and added that reaching a ceasefire deal within the battle in Gaza may 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 mentioned.
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 informed 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.
