The United States said late Saturday that it would "keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself" as the Israeli military announced it was conducting preemptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for attacks by Hezbollah. 

At President Joe Biden's direction, "senior U.S. officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement. "We will keep supporting Israel's right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability."