U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded to the French foreign minister's call for Israel to halt strikes on Hezbollah, saying France appears to get its information from Hezbollah. Huckabee noted that four Israeli soldiers were killed overnight and that Israel strikes when attacked — a ceasefire will happen when Hezbollah stops firing and killing, he said.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee delivered a pointed response Friday to the French foreign minister's call for the United States to press Israel to halt its strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon. In remarks reported by Israeli media, Huckabee questioned whether France derives its assessments from Hezbollah itself. He cited the killing of four IDF soldiers overnight as evidence that Israel is acting in self-defense, stating that a ceasefire depends on Hezbollah ceasing its attacks. The exchange continues a diplomatic back-and-forth between Washington and Paris over the intensity of Israel's Lebanon campaign. As The Zioneer reported, an unnamed Israeli official earlier Friday told the French foreign minister to 'shut his mouth' over his criticism, and the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon has previously aligned the administration with Israel's right to target Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut's Dahieh district. Huckabee's statement reinforces the U.S. position that Israel's response has been defensive and that Hezbollah bears responsibility for ending the hostilities.
3 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
- DevelopingUS Official: Hezbollah Offered Ceasefire for Halt to Beirut Strikes
- DevelopingUS Ambassador Huckabee: Iran demands Israel end border defense, proposes deporting Hezbollah and Hamas to Iran
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake