US backs Israel’s response, blames Lebanon for cross-border rockets

Washington has thrown its weight behind Israel’s military actions after three rockets were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel on Saturday.

“We fully support Israel in its response to terrorists launching rockets into Israeli territory,” said US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes, shifting blame squarely onto Lebanon.

Israel’s assault on Lebanon killed at least seven people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Among the dead are five people, including a child, in Touline, while one person was killed in Tyre and another in Qlaileh.

The attacks also left at least 40 wounded, the ministry reported.

Hughes insisted it was Beirut’s responsibility to rein in armed groups operating within its borders. “The Lebanese government must prevent terrorists from attacking its neighbours from Lebanese territory,” he said.

“These terrorists have destroyed Lebanon for far too long,” he added, calling on the Lebanese authorities to “take the appropriate steps to take their country back.”