The United States has not issued any statement regarding the Israeli strikes targeting Hezbollah sites across Lebanon. But this silence does not indicate ambiguity; rather, it reflects a clear position.
A senior official at the U.S. State Department told Alhurra that “the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Beirut explicitly describe the security assistance provided to the Lebanese Army as a core component of U.S. policy. The United States is the largest external funder of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and it has provided this assistance for years with the aim of strengthening the army’s role as Lebanon’s sole security guarantor.”
Washington has not publicly defined the limits of what it would tolerate regarding Israeli strikes. However, Paul Shia, a former intelligence official and professor at George Washington University, says the unwritten line is clear.
According to Shia, the United States supports Israel’s right to target Hezbollah as an Iranian proxy. But it does not want these strikes to extend to Lebanese state infrastructure or escalate into a full-scale ground war inside Lebanon.
“The United States wants the fighting to remain confined to Hezbollah’s military framework, not to spread deep into the institutions of the state,” Shia told Alhurra.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war several days ago when Hezbollah launched multiple rockets toward Israel. Israel responded with intensive airstrikes that focused heavily on areas controlled by the Shiite group, which was founded by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1982.
These developments came days after the United States and Israel launched a fierce air campaign against Iran that resulted in the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior commanders in the Revolutionary Guard.
An explosion in Beirut’s southern suburb following an Israeli strike, March 6, 2026. Photo: Reuters / Khalil Ashawi.
Behind the scenes, Washington had attempted to limit any regional escalation before the conflict with Iran erupted. On February 28, Reuters reported that the Lebanese presidency had received a message via the U.S. Embassy stating that Israel “would not escalate” against Lebanon as long as no “hostile actions” originated from the Lebanese side.
Nevertheless, Washington appeared to anticipate that the war with Iran could widen when the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for Lebanon on February 23, 2026. The department ordered the departure of non-essential personnel and their families from Beirut due to the deteriorating security situation, emphasizing that the advisory level was Level Four—“Do Not Travel.” This was another indication that Washington sees Lebanon as a potentially combustible arena, even as it works behind the scenes to prevent such an outcome.
With the war underway, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam criticized both Israel and Hezbollah, saying the Lebanese state and people “did not choose this war.”
At the same time, the Lebanese government banned Hezbollah’s military activities, describing them as “illegal,” and obligated the group to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese state.
The Lebanese Army during a media tour in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, November 28, 2025. Photo: Reuters / Aziz Taher.
The Lebanese government, which took power about a year ago, has sought to disarm Hezbollah with U.S. support and pressure, but it has not yet fully succeeded.
Israeli military spokesperson Ella Wawiya said that “the Lebanese government must rid itself of Hezbollah and Revolutionary Guard elements; otherwise, Israel will continue targeting them.”
In remarks to Alhurra, Wawiya accused Hezbollah of “exploiting infrastructure and using civilians as human shields,” stressing that the Lebanese government “must warn Hezbollah against using these facilities, because Israel will strike any area from which attacks are launched.”
Shia emphasized that “the United States supports the Lebanese Army financially and with some equipment, and it is committed to a strong Lebanese military to ensure that decisions of war and peace remain in the hands of the government, not a militia.”
He added that Washington is working with partners such as France and Saudi Arabia to mobilize international support for the Lebanese Army.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Ezat Wagdi Ba Awaidhan
Ezat Wagdi Ba Awaidhan, a Yemeni journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Washington, D.C., holds a master's degree in media studies.
