Washington has thrown its support behind Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and its efforts to defeat the militant group Hezbollah.
“We do support Israel launching these incursions to degrade Hezbollah's infrastructure,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday, adding that the US still hopes for a diplomatic solution. “That is ultimately the only resolution that will provide real, lasting security to both the Israeli and Lebanese people.”
Israel has killed much of Hezbollah’s leadership in a matter of weeks, starting with a surprise attack that involved detonating the pagers and walkie-talkies of hundreds of Hezbollah members and eventually killing longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in a massive strike in Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahieh.
On Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu claimed Israel had also killed Nasrallah’s successor, although he did not specify who that was.
“We've degraded Hezbollah's capabilities. We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself and Nasrallah's replacement, and the replacement of the replacement,” Mr Netanyahu said in a video message.
Israel appears to have the formidable fighting force on the ropes and has continued to bomb Lebanon as it tries to clear Hezbollah from the border with Israel.
Hezbollah on Tuesday said for the first time that it supported a ceasefire without linking it to one in Gaza.
“We support political efforts … which work towards a ceasefire,” the group's deputy leader Naim Qassem said.
The US said it would like to see a “diplomatic” resolution to the conflict, in which Hezbollah moves north of the Litani River, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that helped to end the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.