The US State Department on Wednesday warned that it would not be acceptable for what it dubbed "Israel's" "military incursion" in South Lebanon to evolve into a situation similar to its invasion of the Gaza Strip.

"We cannot and must not see the situation in Lebanon turn into anything like the situation in Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at a regular news briefing on Wednesday as he warned that an Israeli "incursion" in South Lebanon developing into a situation resembling its invasion of the Gaza Strip would "not be acceptable."

"I'm making very clear that there should be no kind of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza and leaves a result anything like Gaza," the US State Department added.

Miller made these remarks answering a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments on Tuesday, who said, addressing the Lebanese, "You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza. It doesn't have to be that way."

US says do not invade, provides weapons that facilitate invasion

The United States spent at least $22.76 billion over the course of one year on military aid to "Israel" and US operations in the region, a recent report revealed.

The report, published by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, highlighted that $17.9 billion in security aid was approved by the US government for Israeli military operations in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria between October 7, 2023, and September 30,

'Israel' dragging region into war to manipulate US elections: Iran

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry dismissed allegations of Tehran's interference in the upcoming US presidential election, asserting that it is "Israel" that is trying to trigger further escalations in the region to influence the outcome of the November vote.

"The occupying regime's haste in dragging the whole region into an ever-expanding war is primarily aimed at malignantly manipulating the US upcoming elections," Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Wednesday.

"At the same time, the US security agencies are falsely accusing Iran of trying to interfere in the country’s internal affairs. What an absurd twist of facts," he added.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson's comments followed an annual assessment by the US Department of Homeland Security, which claimed that Iran, Russia, and China are attempting to influence the November election using artificial intelligence to spread false or divisive information.

Baghaei dismissed the accusations as "baseless," asserting that Washington, with its history of interfering in the affairs of other nations, is "in no position" to level such claims against the Islamic Republic.

Read more: In one year, US spent at least $22.76 bln on 'Israel', ops. in region