White House Urges Israel to Avoid Escalation Amid Tensions With Hezbollah

White House national security spokesman John Kirby speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 25, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The White House on July 29 urged Israel to avoid escalating tensions with the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terrorist group following a rocket attack that killed 12 children at a soccer field in the Golan Heights.

“Israel has every right to respond,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said during a call with reporters. “But nobody wants a broader war, and I’m confident that we'll be able to avoid such an outcome.”

Mr. Kirby said U.S. officials spoke with their Israeli counterparts over the weekend, but he declined to provide any details.

“I want to let the Israelis speak to whatever their response to this attack is going to be,” he said. “We don’t want to see the war escalate. We don’t want to see a second front opened up there in the north. What we want to do, and what we’re so focused on, is finding a diplomatic solution.”

Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Lebanese group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

In a statement on July 28, the United States attributed the rocket attack to Hezbollah, following discussions with Israeli and Lebanese authorities.

“It was their rocket and launched from an area they control. It should be universally condemned,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in the statement.

“Hezbollah started firing on Israel on October 8, claiming solidarity with Hamas, another Iranian-backed terrorist group. Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah.”

Ms. Watson said the United States is also working on a diplomatic solution along the “Blue Line,” the U.N.-drawn border between Israel and Lebanon, to end attacks and allow citizens on both sides of the border to return home safely.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation to the rocket attack, saying that his government would exact a “heavy price” on the Hezbollah terrorist group.

“Israel will not overlook this murderous attack,” he said on July 27.

Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the rocket attack, which occurred in Majdal Shams, a predominantly Druze town in the Golan Heights, which is about seven miles from the Israel–Lebanon border. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told media outlets on July 28 that Hezbollah hasn’t targeted any civilians.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut has warned Americans to leave Lebanon or be prepared to shelter in place because of the “complex and quickly changing situation.”

“We recommend U.S. citizens develop a crisis plan of action and leave before a crisis begins,” Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter said in a video message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 29.

If commercial air travel becomes unavailable, anyone remaining in Lebanon should be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period, according to Ms. Bitter.

Monica O’Shea and Chase Smith contributed to this report.