A senior White House official asserted that “we and our partners have been clear: Hizbollah and other actors – state or non-state – should not try to take advantage of the ongoing conflict [in Israel and Gaza]”. “The U.S. does not seek escalation or widening of the conflict that Hamas brought onto Israel”, she emphasised, while warning: “The U.S. does not want to see this conflict expand into Lebanon. The likely devastation for Lebanon and its people would be unimaginable and is avoidable”.