US opposes Israeli attacks on civilian buildings in Lebanon: State Department

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Wednesday said it does not want to see entire villages destroyed after a video showed Israeli forces destroying the Lebanese border village of Mhaibib.

"Obviously, we do not want to see entire villages destroyed. We don't want to see civilian homes destroyed. We don't want to see civilian buildings destroyed," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters when asked about the video that went viral on social media.

Miller said he has seen the footage, but added that he could not speak to the intent of the Israeli soldiers. When asked to clarify his comment, he said: "I don't know what was potentially underneath those buildings."

"We understand that Hezbollah does operate at times from underneath civilian homes, inside civilian homes. We've seen footage that has emerged over the course of the past two weeks of rockets and other military weapons held in civilian homes," he said.

The spokesman noted Hezbollah’s possible use of civilian infrastructure but stressed that Israel must go after legitimate targets while safeguarding civilian infrastructure.