U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticized the French foreign minister's call for Israel to halt strikes on Hezbollah, questioning whether Paris receives its intelligence from the group. Referring to four Israeli soldiers killed last night, Huckabee said Israel strikes when attacked and that a ceasefire will happen when Hezbollah stops shooting.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee escalated his pushback against diplomatic calls for restraint on Friday, directly criticizing the French foreign minister and suggesting Paris may be relying on Hezbollah's own narrative. Speaking after 11:00 Jerusalem, Huckabee said a ceasefire will only happen when Hezbollah stops shooting — a formulation he first used in a statement earlier Friday, which The Zioneer reported at 11:38 Jerusalem. By that point, the ambassador had already questioned whether France receives its intelligence from the terror group, citing the overnight deaths of four Israeli soldiers as evidence that Israel responds to attack, not initiates escalation.
Huckabee's comment came hours after the French foreign minister publicly called on Washington to press Israel to halt strikes on Lebanon — reported by The Zioneer at 10:06 Jerusalem Friday. The ambassador's position has been consistent throughout the thread. On Wednesday, The Zioneer reported Huckabee proposing the deportation of Hezbollah and Hamas members to Iran and stating that Iran demands an end to Israel's border defense. The broader U.S. stance — support for Israel's right to self-defense — was reaffirmed as early as June 7 by a senior U.S. official, as The Zioneer reported.
As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday June 9, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon conveyed that IDF strikes on Beirut would continue if Hezbollah attacks persist. French President Macron, by contrast, called on both sides to disarm in Lebanon, per The Zioneer's report on Wednesday. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yehiel Leiter published a detailed log of Hezbollah ceasefire violations on Friday morning, underscoring Israel's assessment that the group continues to operate despite diplomatic efforts.
What remains open is whether the U.S. administration will relay any version of France's appeal to Israel, or whether the ambassador's public rejection — and his suggestion of a Hezbollah intelligence pipeline to Paris — precludes any diplomatic middle ground. No official French or U.S. response to Huckabee's remarks has been reported.
4 developments
- DevelopingUS ambassador to Lebanon says IDF strikes on Beirut will continue if Hezbollah attacks persist
- DevelopingUS Ambassador to Israel backs Israeli retaliatory fire against Hezbollah
- StrongIsraeli ambassador details Hezbollah ceasefire violations over two days
- DevelopingIsraeli Ambassador: Hezbollah fire violates agreements, demands Beirut strike
Source and signal
- Internal intake