John Kirby denies US involvement in Lebanon device attacks: ‘We want to see the war end’
National Security communications adviser John Kirby shot down multiple questions Wednesday about possible U.S. involvement in the explosion of hundreds of electronic devices used by Hezbollah members in Lebanon.
“We were not involved in [Tuesday’s] incidents or [Wednesday’s] in any way. And I don’t have anything more to share,” Kirby said when asked to respond to the attacks.
Kirby’s comments came hours after several blasts were heard around Lebanon’s capital of Beirut and other parts of the country. Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported the explosions were the result of walkie-talkies detonating.
National Security communications adviser John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, D.C, Wednesday. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
At least nine people were killed and another 300 were wounded in Wednesday’s attack, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
The explosions came just a day after pagers used by hundreds of Hezbollah members exploded throughout Lebanon and parts of Syria, killing at least 12 people – including two children – and wounding thousands more.
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Both attacks are widely believed to have been the work of Israel, which has been fighting with Hezbollah almost daily since Oct. 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led assault in southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza.
Since then, hundreds have been killed in strikes in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, while tens of thousands on each side of the border have been displaced. Hezbollah said its strikes are in support of its ally, Hamas.
Reporters repeatedly pressed Kirby on Wednesday to say whether the U.S. was involved in the back-to-back attacks targeting members of Hezbollah or had been informed beforehand.
Kirby reiterated that he did not “have anything more to share today.”
“We want to see the war end. And everything we’ve been doing since the beginning has been designed to prevent the conflict from escalating,” Kirby said. “We still believe that there is a diplomatic path forward, particularly up near Lebanon.”
Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded in Beirut, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
The attacks have heightened fears that what has been intermittent fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into an all-out war.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Israeli troops Wednesday: “We are at the start of a new phase in the war — it requires courage, determination and perseverance.”
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Gallant made no mention of the exploding devices but praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.”
Hezbollah announced three strikes on parts of northern Israel Wednesday, at least one of which took place after the latest round of explosions in Lebanon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
