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For nearly a year, one of US President Joe Biden’s top priorities has been to prevent the Gaza war from spiraling into an all-out regional conflict.
Weeks ahead of an election — and just as Biden begins his farewell visit to the UN General Assembly — Israel is pounding Lebanon, killing hundreds and highlighting the powerlessness of his warnings.
Biden, meeting the leader of the United Arab Emirates on Monday, insisted that his administration was still “working to de-escalate” in coordination with counterparts.
A US official on the sidelines of the United Nations gathering said the Biden administration was presenting “concrete ideas” to provide an “off-ramp” to prevent further fighting and lead to a diplomatic solution.
But events have quickly moved out of US control. Last week, when pagers exploded across Lebanon targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, the United States said it had no foreknowledge of the operation widely attributed to Israel and appealed for calm.
Instead, Israel quickly stepped up its attacks, saying on Monday that it had hit 1,000 Hezbollah sites over the past 24 hours. Lebanese authorities said 492 people were killed, including 35 children.
Nearly a year after an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel that prompted its relentless assault on Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed aside warnings of the dangers of regional war and said his country’s goal was to change the “security balance” with its northern neighbor Lebanon.
