US agreed on Israeli ground offensive on Lebanon border

The White House National Security Council said Israel’s “limited operations” to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure across the border were in line with the country’s right to defend itself.

The NSC, however, warned that an expansion of that operation was a risk. It added that a diplomatic solution was the only way to achieve lasting stability along Israel’s border with Lebanon.

Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon in an offensive targeting Hezbollah. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has begun a limited ground operation against Hezbollah targets.

"This is in line with Israel’s right to defend its citizens and safely return civilians to their homes. We support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah and all Iranian-backed terror groups. Of course, we know that mission creep can be a risk and we will keep discussing that with the Israelis,” the NSC said.

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that he agreed on the need for a ground offensive inside Lebanon to rid the border area of Hezbollah weapons and other means it can use to carry out attacks across the border.

In the call, Austin said the U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself and discussed Israel’s military operations.

“We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border,” Austin said in a statement posted on X.