Us On Israel Hezbollah Conflict

The United Nations on Monday said humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip has taken a serious blow after Israel ordered a new evacuation in the centre of the besieged territory.

Israeli forces pressed on with their operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday amid an international push for a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and block a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.

The US defence secretary said on Tuesday he did not believe a fight was inevitable between Hezbollah and Israel though he remained concerned about the potential for escalation after a deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon on Tuesday, warning that a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could spark a regional war and urging a diplomatic solution.

With the Gaza conflict still raging in its eighth month, Iran-backed Lebanese outfit Hezbollah is reportedly preparing for a surprise attack on Israel.

Hezbollah and Israel traded rocket and missile fire in areas near the Lebanese-Israeli border on Saturday, officials on both sides said, in the latest flare-up of violence which the US worries will cause conflict to spiral in the Middle East.

Israel on Sunday rebuffed growing international pressure for a ceasefire and said its forces had encircled Gaza City as the top US diplomat scrambled to contain a crisis that threatened to cause further escalation in neighbouring Lebanon.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his Iran-backed group was not afraid of US warships and "all options" were open for an expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict into Lebanon.

The United States' top general on Monday warned Iran not to get involved in the crisis in Israel and said he did not want the conflict to the broaden, as Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired a salvo of rockets onto northern Israel.

Lebanese Hezbollah militants attacked a Syrian rebel-held town alongside Syrian troops on Sunday and Israel threatened more attacks on Syria to rein the militia in, highlighting the risks of a wider regional conflict if planned peace talks fail.

The United Nations on Monday said humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip has taken a serious blow after Israel ordered a new evacuation in the centre of the besieged territory.

Israeli forces pressed on with their operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday amid an international push for a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and block a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.

The US defence secretary said on Tuesday he did not believe a fight was inevitable between Hezbollah and Israel though he remained concerned about the potential for escalation after a deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon on Tuesday, warning that a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could spark a regional war and urging a diplomatic solution.

With the Gaza conflict still raging in its eighth month, Iran-backed Lebanese outfit Hezbollah is reportedly preparing for a surprise attack on Israel.

Hezbollah and Israel traded rocket and missile fire in areas near the Lebanese-Israeli border on Saturday, officials on both sides said, in the latest flare-up of violence which the US worries will cause conflict to spiral in the Middle East.

Israel on Sunday rebuffed growing international pressure for a ceasefire and said its forces had encircled Gaza City as the top US diplomat scrambled to contain a crisis that threatened to cause further escalation in neighbouring Lebanon.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his Iran-backed group was not afraid of US warships and "all options" were open for an expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict into Lebanon.

The United States' top general on Monday warned Iran not to get involved in the crisis in Israel and said he did not want the conflict to the broaden, as Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired a salvo of rockets onto northern Israel.

Lebanese Hezbollah militants attacked a Syrian rebel-held town alongside Syrian troops on Sunday and Israel threatened more attacks on Syria to rein the militia in, highlighting the risks of a wider regional conflict if planned peace talks fail.