John Kirby says U.S. diplomatic efforts continue in the Middle East amid rising tensions

(WASHINGTON) — With fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah intensifying throughout the weekend, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said the U.S. is doing “everything we can to try to prevent this from becoming an all-out war there with Hezbollah across that Lebanese border.”

“We have been involved in extensive and quite assertive diplomacy,” Kirby told ABC’s “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.

Asked if escalation in the region is inevitable, Kirby replied that there are “better ways” to return Israeli citizens back to their homes to avoid a heightened conflict. On cease-fire negotiations, he told Stephanopoulos that “We are not achieving any progress here in the last week to two weeks.”

Kirby also reiterated that the U.S. was “not involved” in Israel’s covert pager and walkie-talkie attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon last week.

This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.