U.S. Seeks to Sideline Hizbollah in Lebanon

US President Joe Biden did not press Benjamin Netanyahu to halt Israel’s escalating offensive in Lebanon when the pair spoke this week, as a government spokesperson said the US views the conflict with Israel as an opportunity to sideline Hizbollah politically.

Two weeks after the US called for a swift temporary truce in Israel’s conflict with the Lebanese militant group, Biden did not reiterate that call when he spoke to Israel’s prime minister on Wednesday for the first time since the invasion of Lebanon, according to the White House.

He did tell Netanyahu on their call that a “diplomatic arrangement” was needed for Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return to their homes on both sides of the “blue line” — the de facto border between the countries. Biden called for Israel “to minimise harm to civilians” in Lebanon.

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But many in Washington say US diplomacy towards Israel has floundered. “US policy has been trying to both deter and de-escalate at the same time, and realistically speaking, you can most effectively do one or the other, but trying to do both seems to have limited effects in both directions,” said Jonathan Lord, an analyst at the Center for a New American Security.

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