Washington backs controlled ‘escalation against’ Hezbollah: report

Washington (Quds News Network)- According to a report from Israeli security news site Walla, the United States, while publicly opposing a full-scale war with Hezbollah, has expressed support for Israel’s ‘controlled escalation’ against the Lebanese party. Washington hopes that military pressure will pave the way for negotiations to allow Israeli settlers to return no the north of historic Palestine.
The report highlighted that senior American officials cautioned that this tactic is highly complex and could spiral into a broader war if not carefully managed. They advised against ground invasions and widespread bombing of civilian areas. However, despite these warnings, the US administration still backs the escalation in the hopes of using it as leverage to reach a diplomatic solution.
US officials have also publicly expressed satisfaction with recent Israeli assassinations of key Hezbollah leaders, particularly Ibrahim Aqil, who the US holds responsible for the bombing of its embassy in Beirut in 1983 and the 1984 bombing of US Marine barracks.
Despite the US administration’s cautious support, it warned that an increase in assassinations and attacks could provoke an open war. Israel and the US are working to separate the conflict with Hezbollah from the situation in Gaza, but months of diplomatic efforts have failed to stop Hezbollah’s from supporting Gaza.
Senior US officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Presidential Advisor Brett McGurk, and Amos Hochstein, held intensive talks in Israel over the weekend. Israeli officials told their US counterparts that the purpose of their operations against Hezbollah is not to spark an all-out war but to create a “de-escalation through escalation,” which they claim could lead to an agreement that returns Israeli settlers to the north regardless of the situation in Gaza.
A Delicate Balance
Despite agreeing with Israel’s approach, Washington has warned that this is a delicate balance that could easily spin out of control. Brett McGurk described the disagreement with Israel as “tactical,” specifically regarding how to measure the escalation against Hezbollah. A U.S. official told Walla that the U.S. wants to keep diplomatic channels open and prevent Israel from taking steps that could close off those possibilities.
The escalating violence last week included Israeli cyberattacks on Hezbollah, which killed dozens of the group’s fighters and civilians, triggering increased rocket fire from Hezbollah into northern Israel. In response, Israel launched unprecedented airstrikes, including one that killed senior Hezbollah commanders, including Aqil. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged the cyberattacks as a “severe blow” but vowed to continue supporting Gaza, stating that attacks on Israel would only cease if the war on Gaza ended.