The HuffPost has reported that US officials are concerned that Israel is looking to secure US weapons for a war in Lebanon.

“This last week, the level of concern in DC about a potential war on the Israel-Lebanon front has gone up three or four notches,” said Randa Slim, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank.

“This is a pivotal moment in history, and we should feel angry about how Netanyahu has literally put our reputation on fire to advance his personal political agenda. The collateral effects to American security are extremely consequential”,“ the news website quoted a State Department official.

Another State Department official voiced frustration with recent news articles suggesting the US is encouraging Israeli caution and similar public statements, arguing: “It just feels like patting ourselves on the back while it increasingly seems like the IDF are waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing.”