The White House on Monday said concerns about a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah following the attack in Golan Heights over the weekend that killed a dozen people were “exaggerated,” expressing confidence that such a scenario will be avoided. 

What You Need To Know

  • The White House says concerns about a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah following the attack in Golan Heights over the weekend that killed a dozen people were “exaggerated" 
  • White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that the U.S. is in “continuous discussions” with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts at multiple levels and believes there is “still time and space” for a “diplomatic solution" 
  • A rocket attack over the weekend on a soccer field in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed 12 young people and injured many more, according to Israeli authorities
  • Kirby stressed to reporters on Monday that the strike was conducted by Hezbollah despite the Iranian-backed group's denials 

On a call with reporters on Monday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby stressed that Israel has “every right” to respond to the attack but stressed that “nobody wants a broader war.” 

“And I'm confident that we'll be able to avoid such an outcome,” Kirby said. 

Kirby noted that fears over a potential all-out war between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S., have spread at “multiple points” over the last 10 months amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. 

“Those predictions were exaggerated then,” he said. “Quite frankly, we think they're exaggerated now.”

The U.S., Kirby said, is in “continuous discussions” with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts at multiple levels and believes there is “still time and space” for a “diplomatic solution.” 

“The United States will continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution along that blue line that will, number one, end these terrible attacks once and for all and number two, allow Israeli and Lebanese citizens on both sides of the border to safely return to their homes,” Kirby said, referring to the border between Israel and Lebanon. 

A rocket attack over the weekend on a soccer field in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed 12 young people and injured many more, according to Israeli authorities. Israel swiftly blamed Hezbollah for the attack while the Iranian-backed group’s chief spokesperson – in a rare move – told the Associated Press it denied carrying it out. 

Kirby stressed to reporters on Monday that the strike was conducted by Hezbollah. 

“Despite their denials, it's their rocket, it was launched from an area that they control,” he said. 

The attack comes as the Biden administration is urgently pressing to get a cease-fire and hostage release deal in place that could map out an end to the nearly 10-month old war in Gaza.