U.S. 'incredibly concerned' by potential Hezbollah-Israel escalation

The Biden administration said Wednesday that it is "incredibly concerned" about the potential for escalation between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah as fears of a full-blown war continue to rise.

"It's something we've been concerned about since the immediate aftermath of October 7," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. "We continue to pursue a diplomatic resolution because we don't want to see that escalation of the conflict, which would just lead to further loss of life from both Israelis and the Lebanese people, and would greatly harm Israel's overall security and stability in the region."

Miller said that the current situation in northern Israel, where tens of thousands of Israelis have fled under evacuation orders prompted by Hezbollah drone and rocket attacks, is "untenable." He maintained that Israeli officials have maintained privately and publicly "that their preferred solution to this conflict is a diplomatic one."

The comments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier Wednesday issued a terse warning to Hezbollah, saying the Israeli military is prepared for "an extremely powerful action" against Lebanon.

Netanyahu made the statement during his visit to the northern settlement of Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border, which has witnessed repeated attacks by Hezbollah in recent days.

Israeli Army Radio said the Israeli government approved a call-up of 50,000 more reservist soldiers in preparation for possible escalation on the Lebanon front.

The radio also said the government allowed an increase in the number of active reservist soldiers from 300,000 to 350,000 in preparation for possible fighting in the north.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of weapons fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 37,000 people, mostly women and children, since October. A Hamas-led attack that precipitated the current war killed about 1,200 people.