UPDATE - Israel 'currently' conducting 'limited operation' against Hezbollah in Lebanon: State Department

ADDS MORE QUOTES FROM MILLER, REVISES HEADLINE

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Israel has informed the US that it is currently conducting "limited operations" against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to the State Department on Monday.

"This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border," Spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. He said that the US has been engaged in conversations with Israelis.

"I'll let Israel speak to its own military operations," Miller responded questions about the "limited operation", adding that the US has been engaged in conversations with Israelis.

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

On the civilian casualties in Israeli strikes in Lebanon, Miller said the US "absolutely" does not want to see civilian infrastructure being targeted but Hezbollah targets are legitimate for the Israeli army.

"We support attacks on Hezbollah," Miller said but added that "this kind of activity can both enable diplomacy and it can also lead to miscalculation, it can lead to unintended consequences."

He reiterated previous statements from the US administration, urging diplomacy to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, and said that the US is not going to give up on diplomacy.

Miller also expressed Washington's concerns over the humanitarian impact of Israel’s operations in Lebanon, warning that they could be “destabilizing” for the region.

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 the group’s 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, most of them women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

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