On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed hope for a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and averted a broader conflict in West Asia.
Speaking during a press conference following the East Asia summit in Vientiane, Laos, Blinken said Washington backs Lebanon’s efforts to assert itself against Hezbollah.
Israel, which has been carrying out lethal strikes on Lebanon, “has a right to defend itself” against Hezbollah, Blinken restated, but he expressed alarm at the humanitarian situation.
“We continue to engage intensively to prevent broader regional conflict,” he added.
‘US would work to support fragile Lebanese state. ‘We all have a strong interest in trying to help create an environment where people can go back to their homes, their safety and security, and kids can go back to school,’ Blinken said further on Friday while speaking to reporters.
So Israel has a prima facie and very legitimate interest in it. The people of Lebanon want that, too. We believe that the best way to get there is through a diplomatic understanding, one that we’ve been working on for some time and one that we focus on right now,” he added.
The US secretary said Washington would try to help the fragile Lebanese state build itself up after Hezbollah’s long sway.
He also added that the US was airing its concern directly to Israel over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where Israel and Hamas have been fighting for more than a year.
