US seeking diplomatic deal to prevent Israel-Hezbollah conflict, Pentagon chief says | U.S. & World [Video]

By Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States is urgently working toward a diplomatic agreement that would allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes on both sides of the border, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday.

Shelling on Israel’s northern border has led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from areas on both sides of the frontier, and has escalated in recent weeks, leading to fears of an all-out Israel-Hezbollah war.

“Hezbollah’s provocations threaten to drag the Israeli and Lebanese people into a war that they do not want. Such a war would be a catastrophe for Lebanon and it would be devastating for innocent Israeli and Lebanese civilians,” Austin said at the start of his meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon.

“Diplomacy is by far the best way to prevent more escalation. So we’re urgently seeking a diplomatic agreement that restores …