The United States on Thursday voiced concern over the escalating military operations across the border between Lebanon and Israel, assuring that it will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution.

“Whenever you see an increase in strikes across the border, that magnifies our concern at any given moment. So of course, we have intense concerns about it right now, which is why we are pursuing diplomacy to try to achieve a resolution,” the U.S. State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a press briefing. 

“I think we continue to pursue very active diplomacy to try to keep this conflict from escalating. You’ve heard me say this before, and I’ll say it again because it remains the case. The best way to unlock the possibility of a resolution along the Israel-Lebanese border would be to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza,” he added.

“A very important side effect, we assess, would be making it much easier to achieve a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution along the Israel-Lebanon border. That said, we’re not waiting for a ceasefire in Gaza. We’re continuing to pursue diplomacy because it’s important to do. But, again, it’s very difficult to reach such a resolution while the conflict in Gaza continues at the pace it is today.”

Miller said that the recent warning made by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah against Cyprus are “extremely unproductive”, adding that the party should cease making threats against anyone, and pursue, instead, a diplomatic resolution.