US to Hezbollah: Don’t count on us to stop an Israeli attack

The blunt message comes as many U.S. officials appear resigned to the possibility that Israel will make a major move against Hezbollah inside Lebanon in the coming weeks.
Two U.S. officials told POLITICO that the militia needs to also understand that Washington will help Israel defend itself if Hezbollah retaliates. They stressed that the militant group should not count on America to act as a brake on Israeli decision-making.
The message is being conveyed indirectly, the person said; the U.S. doesn’t engage Hezbollah one-on-one because it is a designated terrorist organization, and it relies on public communications or intermediaries.

“Israel’s gotta do what they gotta do,” a Defense Department official said, having been granted anonymity, like others, to speak frankly.

Israeli leaders do not appear to have made a final decision on what to do, though none seems to want an all-out war, and neither does Iran, the two U.S. officials said.

The U.S. intelligence community believes that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah doesn’t want a war, but assesses that the risk of one is heightened this month as is the risk of a miscalculation on either side, according to another senior U.S. official.

By Politico

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