“This cycle of violence will not end well—for anyone,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said, adding: “A sliver of opportunity remains for #diplomacy to succeed.” The #Biden admin has encouraged #Israel to pursue diplomatic solutions to the conflict rather than #military action.

“The question now is whether it will be seized or squandered,” she said.

#geopolitics #MiddleEast #war #Lebanon #Hezbollah #Gaza #Hamas

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the #Biden admin was “carefully” following the situation in the #MiddleEast. “We’re, of course, tracking events in the Middle East very closely, & the #UnitedStates is committed to #Israel’s defense,” #Blinken said ahead of a meeting w/ #Morocco Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. “We’re watching developments, as I said, very carefully at this moment.”

#geopolitics #Netanyahu #war #Lebanon #Hezbollah #Gaza #Hamas

#IDF says it has been conducting secret raids over #Lebanese border for months

Israeli forces have been conducting raids in southern #Lebanon for months, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, an IDF spox, said Tues. He added that #Israel’s incursion into southern Lebanon would represent a continuation & broadening of those attacks.

#geopolitics #MiddleEast #war #Hezbollah #Gaza #Hamas

FYI

The #UnitedStates is not contractually obligated to actively defend #Israel as it is not a member of #NATO — which is essentially a contract between allied nations.

Israel is a “#Major Non-NATO Ally” or #MNNA.

Iran is likely aware that at no other time has there been more support in the US for Palestinian civilians, making active defense of Israel politically complex, especially just before an election.

#geopolitics #MiddleEast #war #Lebanon #Hezbollah #Gaza #Hamas

@Nonilex "The #UnitedStates is not contractually obligated to actively defend #Israel as it is not a member of #NATO — which is essentially a contract between allied nations."

This makes no sense. NATO is about NATO members in agreement. The USA is entirely able to make agreements outside of NATO. Japan isn't in NATO and USA has agreements with Japan.

@RoundSparrow

An agreement is not a contract. NATO is a treaty [The North Atlantic Treaty Organization] a treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement governed by & enforceable under international law.

@Nonilex Nations break "contract", "agreement", "laws", "written agreements", "formal" all the time. People do not do what they commit all the time.

@RoundSparrow

Your point? The current administration has no history of breaking a contract. They are firmly committed to the law.

@Nonilex My point is very simple: it has nothing to do with NATO.

@RoundSparrow and MY POINT was the US is not legally bound to actively defend Israel.