The United States has warned Israel against the idea of a “limited war” in Lebanon, for fear of pushing Iran into intervention, which could lead to the conflict spiraling out of control.

The Axios news website quoted American and Israeli officials as saying that there is growing concern in the Israeli army that the situation in Lebanon has reached a turning point.

The United States and France are trying to find a diplomatic solution to reduce tensions on the border between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel, but they have not yet made progress.

According to the website, the administration of US President Joe Biden believes that it will be impossible to restore calm to the Israeli-Lebanese border without a ceasefire in Gaza.

American officials told Axios that the Biden administration informed Israel that it does not believe that “a limited war in Lebanon or a small regional war is a realistic option, because it will be difficult to prevent it from expanding and getting out of control.”

They added, "Washington warned Israel that a ground invasion of Lebanon, even if only in areas near the border, would likely prompt Iran to intervene."

One scenario the administration raised with Israel was that Lebanon might be flooded with militants from pro-Iranian militias in Syria, Iraq and even Yemen, who might want to join the fight.

An Israeli official explained that the war council meeting did not take a decision on Lebanon, but the Israeli army presented several options to expand the fighting, including a ground invasion aimed at pushing Hezbollah's Radwan Division away from the border.

The Radwan Division is one of Hezbollah's elite forces, and is known for its advanced military capabilities.

The Israeli official added to "Axios" that since October 7, the directives issued by the political leaders of the Israeli army were to focus on defeating Hamas in Gaza and avoiding war in Lebanon, warning that "changing this policy may have long-term consequences."

He added that a war with Hezbollah or a limited operation in Lebanon “would have dire consequences for Israel, and after causing loss of life and draining resources, would likely result in an agreement similar to the one currently being sought between Israel and Lebanon.” : “We need to understand this before making decisions.”