Washington talks about a critical moment in the "Middle East".. Biden: We were not aware of the air strike in Beirut

US President Joe Biden said on Friday that the United States was not aware of the Israeli airstrike on Beirut and did not participate in it, at a time when the Lebanese army imposed a precautionary security cordon around the US embassy in Lebanon.

For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday that this is a critical moment for the Middle East and the world, adding that the way Israel defends itself is important, and explaining that the choices that all parties will make in the coming days in the Middle East will determine the path that the region will take.

Blinken added, warning anyone who might exploit the situation to target American individuals or interests, that Washington will take all necessary measures to defend its people, and stressed: "We have made clear that the way forward is diplomacy, not conflict," explaining that "the diplomatic path is still possible in the Middle East."

In response to a question about the Israeli attack on Hezbollah, Blinken said that "America is still gathering information about the events that took place in the past hours," stressing that "returning to the situation as it was on October 6 regarding the border between Israel and Lebanon is not enough."

Beirut is being bombed now with concussion missiles!! pic.twitter.com/bQLMniLEeI

— #Jerusalem_is_uprising 🇵🇸 (@MyPalestine0) September 27, 2024

Earlier on Friday, a Pentagon spokeswoman said the United States had not received advance notice of an Israeli strike in Beirut, and that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was speaking with his Israeli counterpart while the operation was underway.

“The United States was not involved in this operation and we did not receive prior notification,” said Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh.

Singh declined to mention what Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant told Austin about the operation and whether it actually targeted Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

The Pentagon declined to speculate on whether Nasrallah was still alive. Austin and Gallant spoke as the U.S. defense secretary was flying over the Atlantic Ocean after a visit to London.

The Biden administration is seeking to avoid an escalation of the crisis. Austin has publicly warned that a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would be devastating. On Thursday, he warned of the risks of escalation but added that a diplomatic solution was still possible.

“We now face the threat of a full-scale war,” Austin told reporters on Thursday. “Another full-scale war could be devastating for both Israel and Lebanon.”

Singh declined to provide specifics when asked what Austin told Galant given the potential impact of an Israeli strike on Washington’s efforts to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. But she said the defense secretary is always candid in his conversations with his Israeli counterpart.

Asked whether the lack of advance notice by Israel indicated a lack of trust, Singh said: “Just look at the communications that the two ministers have had over the last two weeks, they have been talking regularly. I think if there was any kind of lack of trust, we would not have had communications and discussions at this level happening so frequently.”

Source: Agencies