John Kirby: No Second Front... Our Hostages Held by Hamas Are Fewer Than Fingers on One Hand

John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, confirmed on Wednesday that the United States is closely monitoring developments on the Israeli-Lebanese border and does not wish for the conflict to escalate or broaden. In an interview with MSNBC, Kirby stated, "We see rockets being fired from southern Lebanon... into northern Israel. We are certainly watching this with great concern. We do not want to see this conflict escalate or broaden." He added that he does not believe it is in Israel's interest to fight on a second front and defend it. He noted that the U.S. believes the number of American citizens held hostage by Hamas following the deadly attack on Israel is "very small." He continued, "Right now, we believe the number we know to be hostages or think could be is a small number, very small, fewer than the fingers on one hand. But that could change over time."