Two weeks after Israel rejected a US-led ceasefire proposal with Hezbollah, US officials have stated that the US is not actively seeking to revive the agreement. Instead, the US is focusing on managing and limiting Israeli military actions in Lebanon and against Iran, rather than trying to stop hostilities.
The US’s inability to halt Israel’s heavy bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon—resulting in over 1,400 deaths and displacing more than 1 million people in less than three weeks—has raised concerns that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is ignoring the Biden administration’s calls for restraint, similar to its actions in Gaza. This has left the White House appearing ineffective.
Within the Biden administration, there is increasing worry that Israel’s planned limited operation could escalate into a broader and longer conflict. Efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have also stalled.
US officials noted that Israel initially intended a much larger ground incursion into Lebanon, but after US intervention, it agreed to scale back. However, they recognize that the US’s influence over Israel’s military operations is limited based on experiences from the past year.
