U.S.: We Don”t Want to See the Gaza Conflict Widen
The United States on Thursday condemned the launch of rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon and stressed it did not want to see a second front open up in the Gaza war.
"We condemn the attack that took place into Israel," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters when asked how much concern there is that the Gaza conflict could widen into Lebanon.
"It is clearly a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1701," which helped bring an end to the devastating 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah.
"We definitely do not want to see this conflict widen," Wood added.
He said that as part of her diplomatic push for a resolution of the Gaza crisis, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made at least seven phone calls to Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni Wednesday and that the two top diplomats may have discussed the rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel.
Wood also said he believed Israel "showed some restraint" in its minimal return of fire into Lebanon, saying the army in the past has used heavier firepower to counter attacks from north of the border.
Hizbullah has denied responsibility for the attack that sowed panic on both sides of the tense border. Israeli police said the rockets lightly wounded two people. No group has claimed responsibility.