White House: Sinwar is not negotiating in good faith

John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House, on Sunday, October 1, referred to the escalation of military conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah, stating that there is still "time for a diplomatic solution" and that the U.S. is working on this matter. Kirby said that Washington has been trying to prevent the escalation and spread of conflicts in the region since the early days of Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. He added that the escalation of military conflicts is not in Israel's favor, and the United States has communicated this "directly" to Israeli officials. Regarding the situation in Gaza, the White House National Security Council spokesperson stated that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, especially after the killing of six Israeli hostages, is not prepared to continue negotiations in good faith. He noted that the killing of Israeli hostages "by execution" in Hamas tunnels indicates that "it does not seem [Sinwar] is inclined to advance [negotiations]." One day before Kirby's remarks about the escalation of conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah, Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, expressed concern about the escalation of tensions in response to the killing of Ibrahim Aqil, commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force, due to an Israeli attack on Friday, stating that justice has been served. Ibrahim Aqil was wanted for deadly bombings against Americans in Lebanon, with a $7 million reward for his capture. Sullivan stated, "Whenever justice is served against a terrorist who has killed American citizens, we believe it is a good outcome." According to the National Security Advisor, despite the "real" risk of escalating tensions, the United States still believes there is a clear path to stop hostilities and reach a lasting solution that allows residents of the border areas of Israel and Lebanon to return to their homes. The escalation of conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel occurred after continued rocket and drone attacks by Hezbollah on Israel and the explosion of this group's communication devices on the past Tuesday and Wednesday, resulting in nearly 40 deaths, mainly among members of this Iranian proxy, and 3,000 others injured. Although the explosions were attributed to Israel, Israel has taken a position of "neither confirming nor denying" this. On Friday, Israel targeted a gathering place of senior Hezbollah commanders under a residential building in the Dahiyeh neighborhood of Beirut, where several senior commanders of the group, including Ibrahim Aqil, commander of the Radwan force, and Ahmad Wahbi, a senior military commander of the group, were killed. The Israeli army published the names and images of 12 Radwan unit commanders who were killed in this attack on Saturday. Israeli officials have repeatedly stated over the past year that they will establish security in the northern regions of the country by any means necessary, whether diplomatic or military. Israel demands Hezbollah withdraw from the border areas of Lebanon with Israel. So far, diplomatic efforts to push Hezbollah back to the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the shared border of Israel and Lebanon, based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, have been unsuccessful. Hezbollah was established in 1982 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Several countries, including the United States, Israel, Germany, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Australia, have recognized the group as a terrorist organization. Recognizing Hezbollah as a terrorist organization means not distinguishing between its political and military branches and labeling both as terrorists. Hamas, another Iranian-backed proxy group, which massacred 1,200 Israeli citizens, including women, children, and the elderly during the October 7 terrorist attack and took over 250 others hostage, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the UK, Israel, Canada, Japan, and several other countries.