A senior U.S. official warned on Monday against the scenario of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and stressed that such an escalation could have "catastrophic and unforeseen consequences”
The U.S. official spoke amid preparations in Israel for a possible escalation in the fighting with Hezbollah in the north as a result of the deadlock in the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal negotiations
"There is no war in lab conditions. It's not a game. I don't doubt the capabilities of the IDF, but we have to think about the fact that there will be serious consequences for both sides,” the U.S. official said
According to the U.S. official, Israeli officials who want to go to war against Hezbollah in order to return displaced Israelis to their homes, should take into account that in such a scenario many Israelis could be killed and many others would have no homes to return to
"There is an idea of let's go to war and then we will destroy all the missiles Hezbollah has and everything will be fine. It's not that simple. There is no magic solution. The other side cannot be annihilated. At the end of the war, Israel may pay a heavy price and not achieve its goals”, the U.S. official said
The U.S. official emphasized that a war in Lebanon would lead to the intervention of the international community in order to reach a diplomatic solution to end it that would look very similar to the diplomatic solution that is being discussed today
Mike