US Opposes Ceasefire In Lebanon, Urges Israel To 'Degrade' Hezbollah

The State Department said Tuesday that it doesn’t want to see a ceasefire in Lebanon and supports the heavy Israeli bombardment of the country to "degrade Hezbollah."

State Department spokesman Matt Miller was asked about comments from Hezbollah Deputy Sheikh Naim Qassem, who said the group supports efforts by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to reach a ceasefire without mentioning that it must also include a ceasefire in Gaza. "Now that Hezbollah is on the back foot and is getting battered, suddenly, they’ve changed their tune and want a ceasefire," Miller told reporters.

Miller claimed the US "ultimately wants a diplomatic solution" but voiced strong support for Israeli military operations, which have killed more than 1,250 people, including over 100 children. "We support Israel’s efforts to degrade Hezbollah’s capability," he said.

The US is also calling for Lebanon to hold new presidential elections amid the Israeli bombardment. Lebanon hasn’t had a president since 2022, as the many different factions in parliament haven’t agreed to elect one. Hezbollah’s political wing currently holds 15 seats in the nation’s 128-seat parliament.

"What we want to see come out of this situation ultimately is Lebanon able to break the grip Hezbollah has had on the country … break the stranglehold that Hezbollah has had over the country," Miller said.

The US is still characterizing the Israeli assault on Lebanon as a "limited incursion" despite the massive bombings in Beirut and across the country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled on Tuesday that more escalations were coming. In a threatening message to the people of Lebanon, he called for them to "free" the country from Hezbollah or they will face "destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza."

Before Israel launched a strike that killed Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, the US was calling for a temporary 21-day ceasefire. But the US put no real pressure on Israel to accept the truce since it provided a massive new military aid package as Netanyahu was rejecting the idea of a ceasefire.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said that Nasrallah agreed to a 21-day ceasefire with Israel just days before he was killed and that the US was informed of his decision. The State Department denied that the US was informed Nasrallah accepted the truce, but CNN later reported that a Western source familiar with the negotiations said Hezbollah had agreed to the ceasefire.