UPDATE - Biden calls for 'cease-fire now' as Israel set to begin ground invasion of Lebanon

ADDS DETAILS THROUGHOUT, REVISES HEADLINE

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden called for an end to all hostilities as Israel prepares for what it is calling a "limited" ground operation in Lebanon amid fears of a spiraling regional war.

Asked by a reporter if he is aware of and comfortable with Israel beginning its operation, Biden said: "I'm more aware than you might know, and I'm comfortable with them stopping. We should have a cease-fire now."

The president said he was on the phone for two hours on Saturday and Sunday to discuss the situation, after telling reporters Sunday that he would speak to Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day.

Biden said at the time that he would update reporters on the call, but to date no details have been provided. The White House has yet to issue a formal readout of the conversation.

After the president delivered his brief remarks, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said US "support for Israel's security is ironclad."

"They are in a difficult neighborhood, right, to say the least, and they have to have the ability to defend themselves. And so that's what we support. That's what we believe. That's what we have said. We're going to have conversations with the Israeli government about the best way forward, the best way to move forward, but I'm not going to get into diplomatic conversation," she said.

"At the same time, we do want to de-escalate," added Jean-Pierre.

The State Department earlier said Israel had informed the US that it is currently conducting "limited operations" against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

When asked by Anadolu how the US defines a "limited operation," spokesperson Matthew Miller said it is Israel’s definition, not that of the US, and referred further questions to Israeli officials.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Several Hezbollah leaders have been killed in the assault, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.​​​​​​​