National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned that Hezbollah militants pose a \u2018real risk of escalation\u2019 at Israel\u2019s northern border.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sullivan, making the rounds on several Sunday TV news shows, also noted Iran\u2019s possible involvement, as the regime has long bolstered the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018We are concerned. We see a real risk of escalation on the northern border,\u2019 he told ABC\u2019s \u2018This Week.\u2019 \u2018And that is why President Biden has been so clear and forceful in saying that no state and no group should seek to exploit this situation to their advantage or should escalate the conflict. And in fact, he has now sent the USS Eisenhower from the United States toward the region to give additional capacity to respond to any contingency and also to send a clear message of deterrence that no one should get involved in this, no one should escalate this.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018We don\u2019t have some specific new intelligence that the threat is different today from yesterday. The threat yesterday was real. The threat today is real. There is a risk of an escalation of this conflict, the opening of a second front in the north and, of course, of Iran\u2019s involvement,\u2019 Sullivan added during his appearance on CBS \u2018Face The Nation.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cross-border clashes between armed factions in Lebanon and Israel intensified Sunday, with the Hezbollah terrorist group firing rockets and Israeli forces responding with shelling.<\/p>\n
The Israeli army also reported a shooting at one of its border posts. The fighting has killed at least one person on the Israeli side and wounded several on both sides of the border.<\/p>\n
Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Gaza\u2019s Hamas rulers and longtime enemy of Israel, said in a statement that it had fired rockets toward an Israeli military position in the northern border town Shtula in retaliation for Israeli shelling that killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah on Friday and two Lebanese civilians on Saturday.<\/p>\n
However, Hezbollah spokeswoman Rana Sahili said Sunday\u2019s increase in the intensity of the exchanges with Israel doesn\u2019t indicate Hezbollah has decided to fully enter into the Hamas-Israel war, according to The Associated Press. The fighting on the border is \u2018only skirmishes\u2019 and represents a \u2018warning,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n
Sullivan also spoke about efforts to get Americans out of Gaza, noting how \u2018Hamas has intervened\u2019 in some cases to prevent Palestinians, Palestinian Americans and others from being able to travel across the border to Egypt. In an appearance on CNN\u2019s \u2018State of the Union,\u2019 Sullivan vowed Biden \u2018will make hard decisions to get American hostages home.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
He denied Hamas\u2019 idea of a potential prisoner swap was under active consideration by the U.S., saying the Biden administration\u2019s \u2018focus is on working through those third country channels.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018For President Biden, they are a priority,\u2019 Sullivan said. \u2018They\u2019re the highest possible priority. And he has sent hostage experts to coordinate and consult with the Israeli government on hostage recovery efforts. He\u2019s also made sure that our diplomats are in touch with third countries in the region to explore avenues for their safe release. I have to be cautious about how much I can say about certain efforts he\u2019s undertaking, because we want to protect those efforts to give us the best possible chance of getting our people home.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018One important point when it comes to the issue of the Navy SEALs is we do not at this point have pinpoint location information for where the American hostages are,\u2019 Sullivan told CNN host Jake Tapper. \u2018So we have to continue to refine our understanding of where they are and even Jake, who they are, because we know there are 15 unaccounted for Americans, but we cannot confirm the precise number of American hostages being held by Hamas at this time.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sullivan told CBS the U.S. is also focused on the broader civilian population of Gaza, \u2018because the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza have nothing to do with Hamas, that they can get to safe areas, that they can get access to food, water, medicine, shelter, and that they can be protected from the fighting as it intensifies and as a potential ground operation moves forward.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Gaza being governed by a brutal and vicious terrorist organization is not just a challenge for the state of Israel. It\u2019s a challenge for the Palestinian people because Hamas does not represent their highest aspirations,\u2019 Sullivan said. \u2018Hamas is not looking out for\u2026 one iota about their welfare and well-being. So the Palestinian people in Gaza do deserve a leadership that allows them to live in peace and dignity and security.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n
Biden\u2019s national security adviser said the U.S. was not \u2018making requests or demands of Israel with respect to its military operations,\u2019 adding that the administration was \u2018simply stating our basic principles \u2013 the principles upon which this country is based and all democracies, including Israel, are based. It\u2019s what makes us different from the terrorists, that in fact we respect civilian life.\u2019 He said the U.S. was not \u2018not interfering in their military planning\u2019 or giving them any specific instructions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Associated Press contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n