State Department spokesperson says US has directly opposed Israel’s frequent strikes in Beirut, notes decrease in recent days

Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, expressed concerns about Israel’s recent bombing campaign in Beirut during a briefing Tuesday, emphasizing the U.S. stance on the issue.

“So there are specific strikes that it would be appropriate for Israel to carry out,” Miller said. “But when it comes to the scope and nature of the bombing campaign that we saw in Beirut over the past few weeks, we made it clear to the Government of Israel that we had concerns and were opposed to it.”

Miller noted a decrease in the frequency of the airstrikes in recent days, though he cautioned against drawing conclusions about future actions. “We’ve seen them come down over the past few days, which is not a prediction about what will happen in the future, but we have seen them come down.”

The U.S. government, Miller added, has reiterated its opposition to the campaign as it has been conducted in recent weeks. While acknowledging Israel’s right to target legitimate terrorist threats, particularly Hezbollah, which continues to operate across Lebanon, Miller underscored the U.S.' concern with the high civilian toll.

“It is largely the strikes that have a high civilian toll,” Miller said.