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Sat, Dec 21, 2024 | Jumada al-Aakhirah 20, 1446 | DXB
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US says all-out war not the way to return people to homes in northern Israel
Lebanon's Health Ministry says more than 1,000 Lebanese were killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks
- By
- Reuters
People, who fled their homes in the south of Lebanon, take refuge in a car park in the southern city of Sidon on Sunday. AFP
Israel will not be able to safely get people back into their homes in the north of the country by waging an all-out war with Hezbollah or Iran, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday.
Israel struck more targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Hezbollah with new attacks after killing the Iran-backed group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Israel's stated goal is to make its northern areas safe from Hezbollah rocket fire and allow thousands of displaced residents to return.
Smoke billows after Israeli Air Force air strikes in southern Lebanon villages, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from northern Israel, on Sunday. REUTERS
"An all-out war with Hezbollah, certainly with Iran, is not the way to do that. If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course," Kirby told CNN.
The United States is watching to see what Hezbollah does to try to fill its leadership vacuum "and is continuing to talk to the Israelis about what the right next steps are", he said.
Lebanon's Health Ministry says more than 1,000 Lebanese were killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks. The government said a million people - a fifth of the population - had fled their homes.
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