The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not conducted any more air strikes on Lebanon’s capital Beirut since US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone on October 9, Israeli news site Ynet claimed.
Biden reportedly pressured Netanyahu to scale down Israel's attacks on densely-populated civilian areas in and around Beirut.
While affirming “Israel’s right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah,” Biden emphasized “the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut.”
Ynet said that is the first lull in the fighting since Iran's missile strike on Israel on October 1. Israeli jets last attacked central Beirut on Thursday in a failed attempt to eliminate senior Hezbollah member Wafiq Safa, leaving 22 dead and over 100 injured according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
While the IDF is not bombing Beirut, it has not stopped air strikes on southern Lebanon.
Biden also urged Netanyahu a to be “proportional” in his response to Iran's massive ballistic missile attack two weeks ago, in what the White House described as a "productive" discussion.
The US president also stressed the need for a “diplomatic arrangement” between the two sides.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday to reinforce “the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible,” according to a Pentagon statement. Austin expressed “deep concern” about reports that Israeli forces had fired on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon in recent days.
Israel escalated its military operations against Hezbollah movement in the past few weeks. Russia has blamed Washington for rising tensions in the Middle East, calling the Biden administration’s policies in the region “a complete failure."