U.S. does not want to see Israel-Lebanon conflict escalate: State Department

The U.S. does not want to see a conflict between Israel and Lebanon escalate with rising tensions along the border, the State Department said Thursday.

"We don't want to see the conflict escalate," spokesman Matt Miller said during a news conference, adding that Washington continues to pursue a diplomatic resolution.

"We have seen a dramatic increase in strikes by Hezbollah across the border targeting Israeli villages' civilian infrastructure, and so we have been pursuing a diplomatic resolution to try to make clear that there should be no further escalation," Miller told reporters.

His remarks came one day after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the situation on the northern border with Lebanon would change either through a political settlement or a wide-scale military operation.

"IDF (army) forces are preparing and continue to prepare against every threat that comes our way, both in defense and attack," Gallant wrote on X.

Tensions have soared along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv pressed ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 37,400 victims since Oct. 7 following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

The Israeli army said Tuesday that it approved operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon.