Story by Rob Crilly, Chief U.S. Political Correspondent and Stephen Lepore

Diplomatic efforts to avert an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah went into overdrive on Wednesday as the U.S. and France raced to reduce tensions and avert a bigger, regional conflict.

Israel’s military and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon have stepped up exchanges of rockets and missiles in recent days, almost a year since Hamas gunmen killed 1200 Israelis.

President Joe Biden said there was still a chance of reaching a ceasefire, and suggested there was a chance to link a solution to the cross-border crisis with the war in Gaza.

‘It’s possible and I’m using every bit of energy I have with my team — to get this done,’ he said during an appearance on The View.

‘There’s a desire to see change in the region.’

President Joe Biden appeared on ABC’s `The View’ and said

In the meantime, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut has told any Americans still in the country to leave immediately, as Biden sends troops to the region.

The chief of Israel’s army said Wednesday it was preparing for a possible ground operation and, after Hezbollah fired a missile at Tel Aviv for the first time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahupromised he would ensure families could return to their abandoned homes close to the Lebanon border.

‘We are inflicting blows on Hezbollah that it never imagined,’ he said.

‘We are doing it with might; we are doing it with stratagems. I promise you one thing—we will not rest until they return home.’

With world leaders convening at United Nationsheadquarters in New York Wednesday, the result was a diplomatic scramble to avert further escalation.

The U.S. and France were trying to hammer out an interim accord to halt hostilities as well as potentially opening broader talks on a ceasefire in Gaza, Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides told Reuters.

Details are being discussed on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting.

And sources told Reuters that an accord to was the Israel-Hezbollah crisis could include the release of hostages still being held by Hamas.

That leaves Americans looking for ways out of the country.

Israeli military Chief of Staff, Major General Herzi Halevi, visited the 7th Brigade on the northern border, Wednesday, to tell them to prepare for a possible ground war

Volunteers prepare shelters for people who fled from southern Lebanon following Israeli military strikes in recent days, in Sidon, Lebanon

The embassy is providing limited flight options out of the nearest airport despite a majority of airlines canceling flights.

If American citizens wishing to leave lack funds to go back, the embassy is offering financial assistance via repatriation loans.

‘We recommend that U.S. citizens who choose not to depart Lebanon prepare contingency plans for emergency situations and be prepared to shelter in place for an extended period of time,’ diplomats added in a statement.

Israel expanded its aerial assaults on Lebanon with airstrikes Monday that killed nearly 500 people, wounded over 1,600 more and appeared to signal the start of a broader military campaign.

The state of Israel said it was targeting ‘terrorists’ linked to Hezbollah, the group that has been firing rockets into Israel.

The Pentagon announced on Monday that ‘additional’ service members would be deployed to join the 40,000 already stationed in the region along with a dozen warships and fighter jet squadrons.

Israeli forces have ramped up their airstrikes deep inside Lebanon and the State Department has warned all Americans to leave as the risk of conflict spirals to levels not seen in years.

The United States’ embassy in Beirut is telling any Americans still in the country to get out, as Joe Biden sends in troops to respond to a surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah

The embassy is providing limited flight options out of the nearest airport despite a majority of airlines canceling flights

Tensions have reached boiling point in the last seven days, and started to deteriorate when pagers and walkie talkies owned by members of Hezbollah exploded in a coordinated attack last week.

Devastating airstrikes by the Israeli military on Monday killed at least 100 people and injured another 400 in Lebanon as IDF warplanes pummeled targets across the country.

Terrified residents in Beirut and elsewhere received calls and texts warning them to move away from Hezbollah targets, with Lebanon’s information minister condemning the alerts as a tactic of ‘psychological war implemented by the enemy’.

Schools have been closed early during the heavy attacks that have sparked calls for international intervention.

The Biden administration has warned Israel that escalation is not in their best interest and still want a diplomatic solution.

At a speech given at the United Nations Tuesday, Biden called for peace in the Middle East.

Security forces and medical teams arrive in the area after the Israeli army targeted the 4th and 5th floors of a building in the Ghobeiry municipality, where Hezbollah is strong in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon

At a speech given at the United Nations Tuesday, Joe Biden called for peace in the Middle East

‘Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms, bring the hostages home and secure security for Israel and Gaza, free of Hamas grip ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war. October 7,’ he said.

‘Since October 7, we’ve also been determined to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire region,’ he said.

‘Our task, our test is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart,’ Biden said. ‘I truly believe we’re in another inflection point of world history. For the choices we make today will determine our future for decades to come.’

At the Pentagon, Press Secretary Gen. Pat Ryder would not confirm how many troops would be deployed or where they are going.

‘In light of the increased tensions in the Middle East, and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region,’ he said.

‘Due to the unpredictable nature of ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel and recent explosions throughout Lebanon, including Beirut, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available,’ the State Department cautioned Saturday.

Read more