Sullivan Voices Concerns Over Rising Israel-Lebanon Tensions, Describes Hezbollah Strike as Justice Served

By Trevor Hunnicutt

WILMINGTON, Del. – U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan expressed concern on Saturday about the potential for escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, while asserting that Israel’s recent action against a prominent Hezbollah leader was a form of justice for the Iran-backed organization.

Speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, Sullivan indicated that he still perceives a possible route to a ceasefire in Gaza, although he noted that the U.S. is currently "not at a point right now where we’re prepared to put something on the table."

Sullivan mentioned that the U.S. continues to collaborate with Qatar and Egypt, as both countries engage in discussions with Hamas; however, Washington, in its dialogue with Israel, does not feel it is in a position to propose a mutually acceptable deal for both sides.

"Could that change over the course of the coming days? It could," he stated.

Hezbollah reported that 16 of its members, including senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and another key commander, Ahmed Wahbi, were among the 37 individuals killed in an Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb on Friday, as confirmed by Lebanon’s health ministry.

This airstrike, identified as the deadliest conflict with Hezbollah since October 8, resulted in the deaths of three children and seven women, according to Lebanese officials. The conflict reignited after Hezbollah began launching rockets into Israel in support of Palestinians amidst the year-long Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sullivan described the airstrike on Friday as serving justice for Aqil, who was a wanted figure in connection with two truck bombings in Beirut in 1983 that claimed over 300 lives at the American embassy and a U.S. Marines barracks.

"Any time a terrorist who has murdered Americans is brought to justice, we believe that that is a good outcome,” he said.

He acknowledged the "acute" risk of further escalation following the Israeli strike, compounded by recent attacks involving detonated devices across Lebanon that resulted in at least 39 fatalities and around 3,000 injuries. These attacks are widely believed to have been executed by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

Sullivan emphasized that, despite the real risk of escalation, there remains a viable path to achieving a cessation of hostilities and a sustainable solution that ensures security for individuals on both sides of the border.

In a separate incident, an Israeli airstrike targeted a school in southern Gaza City on Saturday, killing at least 22 people, including 13 children and six women, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel claimed that the airstrike was aimed at a Hamas command center believed to be situated within the school.