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Israeli sovereignty in north lost due to Hezbollah: Blinken

US Secretary of State admits Israel has lost territory, but calls on Jerusalem to avoid full-scale war with Hezbollah, Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Israel had essentially lost a significant swathe of its territory in the north of the country due to non-stop Hezbollah attacks, but pressured Jerusalem not to engage in a full-scale offensive against the terror group.

Speaking at the Brookings Institute, Blinken said that Israel “has effectively lost sovereignty in the northern quadrant of its country because people don’t feel safe to go to their homes.”

Blinken’s choice of words is notable, as he described people as “feeling” that they could not return to their homes, rather than stating it is unsafe for them to do so, because of Hezbollah’s intentional targeting of civilian communities with anti-tank and other missiles, rockets, and explosive drones.

The Secretary of State then claimed that Israel, Hezbollah, Iran, the patron of the terror group, and Lebanon all do not wish to engage in a full-scale regional war.

“I don’t believe Hezbollah actually wants a war. Lebanon certainly doesn’t want a war, because it would be the leading victim in such a war,” Blinken continued.

“I don’t believe that Iran wants a war in part because it wants to make sure that Hezbollah is not destroyed, and that it can hold on to Hezbollah as a card if it needs it if it ever gets into a direct conflict with Israel,” he added.

However, he said that Israel “may well be prepared to engage in one if necessary — from their perspective — to protect their interests.”

Blinken stressed that an unexpected incident – such as mass casualty event – could quickly trigger a full-scale war.

“On the one hand, no one actually wants a war. On the other hand, you have momentum that may be leading in that direction in which we are determined to try to arrest,” Blinken said.

He then reiterated American efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement that would see Hezbollah forces withdraw north of the Litani River and cease their fire on Israeli communities and military assets in northern Israel, permitting some 60,000 displaced northerners to return to their homes.