US scrambles to avert Israel-Hezbollah war, with or without Gaza cease-fire
The Biden administration is searching for a diplomatic deal to prevent a disastrous war between the longtime foes.
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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is racing to avert all-out war between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, dispatching a senior US official to France on Wednesday to coordinate on a diplomatic deal to contain the crisis.
US officials say neither Israel nor Hezbollah desires a full-blown conflict, but a single miscalculation by either side could trigger what the United Nations warned would be a “potentially apocalyptic” war that risks drawing in Iran and the United States.
“I think you have a paradox in this moment, which is that, at least in our judgment, none of the main actors actually want a war,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during an event at the Brookings Institution on Monday.
