White House: Military Escalation Not in Israel's 'Best Interest'

White House national security spokesman John Kirby - DPA
White House national security spokesman John Kirby - DPA
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White House: Military Escalation Not in Israel's 'Best Interest'

White House national security spokesman John Kirby - DPA
White House national security spokesman John Kirby - DPA

A regional military escalation is not in Israel's "best interest," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday, as heightening cross-border tensions between Israel and Lebanon have led to fears of an all-out war, AFP reported.

"We don't believe that escalating this military conflict is in their best interest," Kirby said on ABC's "This Week," adding that the United States was "saying this directly to our Israeli counterparts."

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel has in recent days hit Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon in ways it could not imagine.
"If Hezbollah has not understood the message, I promise you, it will understand the message," Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office.



At Least 7 Dead in Georgia Dock Collapse on US Atlantic Coast

FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
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At Least 7 Dead in Georgia Dock Collapse on US Atlantic Coast

FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
FILE - The sun rises over Sapelo Island, Ga., a Gullah-Geechee community, on June 10, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

At least seven people were killed after part of a boat dock collapsed, sending at least 20 into the Atlantic waters off the coast of the US state of Georgia.
US Coast Guard ships were searching on Saturday night for missing people.
The accident, which also caused multiple injuries, happened during a celebration of Sapelo Island's tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants, authorities said.
A gangway crowded with people waiting for a ferryboat collapsed late on Saturday afternoon on the Georgia barrier island about 60 miles (100 km) south of Savannah, said Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which runs the ferry.
"We and multiple agencies are searching for survivors," Jones said.

President Joe Biden said federal officials were ready to provide any assistance needed.

“What should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah-Geechee culture and history instead turned into tragedy and devastation,” Biden said in a statement. “Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives, and we pray for the injured and anyone still missing. We are also grateful to the first responders at the scene.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, in the state capital Atlanta for campaign events, also issued a statement, saying the Biden administration was in close touch with state and local officials and had offered any federal support needed.
"Tonight, Doug and I are praying for all those who were killed or injured in the collapse of the ferry dock walkway on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, as well as their family members and loved ones," Harris said, referring to her husband, Doug Emhoff.
"Even in the face of this heartbreak, we will continue to celebrate and honor the history, culture, and resilience of the Gullah-Geechee community," she added.
Coast Guard helicopters and boats equipped with sonar immediately began search-and-rescue operations, officials said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.
Sapelo Island is only reachable by boat, and the state-run ferry takes about 20 minutes to reach its shores.
People were marking Cultural Day, an annual festival celebrating the island's historic Black community, one of several surviving island communities from Georgia to North Carolina.