'It was their rocket': U.S. blames Hezbollah for attack that killed 12 children and teens
WASHINGTON – The White House said Monday the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah was responsible for the weekend rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Golan Heights.
"It was their rocket. It was launched from an area that they control," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
Hezbollah has denied any role in the attack, which happened Saturday when a rocket slammed into a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan. The attack has escalated tensions along the Israeli-Lebanese border and raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
Israel also blamed Hezbollah for the attack and has threatened to retaliate, although the United States has urged restraint.
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Kirby said the U.S. supports Israel's right to defend itself. But he said the Biden administration believes "there's still time and space for a diplomatic solution."
"It's Hezbollah that started firing on Israel way back in October. And I think we need to keep that in mind," he said. "But nobody wants a broader war, and I'm confident that we'll be able to avoid such an outcome."
The U.S. has been in contact with Israel and Lebanon and will continue to support efforts to reach a diplomatic solution, Kirby said.
The U.S. is leading a diplomatic dash to deter Israel from striking Lebanon's capital Beirut or major civil infrastructure in response to the attack, Reuters reported, citing five unnamed sources who are familiar with the effort.
The focus of the high-speed diplomacy has been to constrain Israel's response by urging it against targeting densely populated Beirut, the southern suburbs of the city that form Hezbollah's heartland, or key infrastructure like airports and bridges, Reuters said. The news agency said its sources include Lebanese and Iranian officials, plus Middle Eastern and European diplomats.
Hezbollah is the most powerful of Iran's network of regional proxy groups and has claimed allegiance to Palestinians in Gaza. The group has been trading fire with the Israeli military across Lebanon's southern border since the Gaza war erupted last October.
Michael Collins and Francesca Chambers cover the White House. Follow Collins on X @mcollinsNEWS and Chambers @fran_chambers.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: U.S. blames Hezbollah for rocket attack that killed 12 youths in Golan
