(VOVWORLD) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday he did not believe a fight was inevitable between Hezbollah and Israel though he remained concerned about the potential for escalation after a deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
 US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a press conference during a NATO defense ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, June 14, 2024. (REUTERS) |
Tensions have worsened since Saturday when the rocket killed 12 children and teenagers at a football pitch in a Druze village. Israel accused Hezbollah and vowed a harsh response. Hezbollah has denied involvement.
The US has been leading a diplomatic effort to deter Israel from striking Lebanon's capital Beirut or major civil infrastructure in response to the attack, five people with knowledge of the drive told Reuters on Monday.
Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border since October, their worst conflict since 2006. The hostilities, sparked by the conflict in Gaza, have so far been largely been contained to areas near the frontier.