Haaretz: Western efforts to prevent Israel from targeting Beirut or major Lebanese cities in response to Majdal Shams attack

The newspaper added that the United States and France are trying to prevent Israel from targeting Beirut or other major cities in response to the Majdal Shams attack.

An Israeli diplomatic source told Haaretz on Sunday that the possibility of a major escalation between Israel and the Lebanese factions depends largely on the reaction of the Lebanese factions to the expected Israeli attack, and we will have to wait and see.

She pointed out that after the missile attack that killed 11 children and teenagers in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan, the United States and France used all diplomatic measures to prevent the outbreak of a comprehensive war between Israel and the Lebanese factions.

In this context, Western diplomats told Haaretz that great efforts are being made to prevent the Israeli response from igniting a regional war, including pressuring the Lebanese government to persuade Hezbollah to stop the escalation.

However, Israeli sources question the extent of influence the Lebanese government can exercise over Hezbollah.

Diplomatic sources in Washington and Beirut told Lebanese news channel LBCI that the Israeli strike was “certain,” but added that efforts were underway to ensure that the attack did not hit large or densely populated cities, including Beirut.

According to the sources, this aims to prevent the Lebanese factions from responding to the attack in a major way.

Both France and the United States issued statements condemning the Lebanese factions for the attack, but reiterated the need to prevent a further escalation on the northern front, and Britain issued a similar statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke Saturday evening with his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog, who was in Paris for the opening of the Olympic Games.

He is also expected to discuss the situation in the north with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned to Israel Sunday afternoon after a five-day visit to Washington.

At the same time, the United States is working with both the Lebanese government and Israel to ensure that any response by Lebanese factions that could lead to a full-scale war can be prevented, even after an Israeli strike on Lebanon.

Source: Haaretz