The US calls on Israel to refrain from a full-scale war with Hezbollah, according to media reports.

The United States issued a direct warning to Israel of the possibility of a major war with Hezbollah on September 22. That day, the Lebanese militant group and Israeli troops engaged in some of the heaviest firefights since early October 2023.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the US National Security Council, warned Israel of the need to find better ways to return Israeli citizens in the north back to their homes than to engage in war and escalate the conflict, the Financial Times notes.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called his Israeli counterpart on Sept. 21 to emphasize the importance of reaching a diplomatic solution and to express his concerns about the safety of American citizens in the region, the Pentagon said.

Despite calls for Israel to avoid escalating hostilities, Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed not to ease military pressure on Hezbollah.

“We have carried out several strikes on Hezbollah in recent days that they did not expect. If Hezbollah has not received the message, I guarantee that they will receive it,” the Israeli prime minister said.

This was revealed last week when Israel announced that it was expanding its strategic goals in the Gaza war to bring 60,000 evacuees from northern Israel back to their homes, which are frequently targeted by Hezbollah. Eventually, a series of attacks on the group were carried out, including the detonation of pagers and other technical devices from afar.