The Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah was a “measure of justice” for victims of a four-decade “reign of terror,” President Joe Biden said Saturday.
The comments came after the Lebanese group Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day.
Biden noted that the operation to eliminate Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with the massacre of Israelis by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
“Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join Hamas and open what he called a ‘northern front’ against Israel,” Biden said in a statement.
He also noted that Hezbollah under the leadership of Nasrallah has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese.
Hezbollah attacks against American interests include the truck bombing of the American embassy and multinational forces headquarters in Beirut in 1983 and the kidnapping of the Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Beirut, who died while captive. . The United States said Hezbollah leaders armed and trained militias that carried out attacks against American forces during the war in Iraq.
The White House considers Nasrallah’s death a serious blow to the group. At the same time, the administration has sought to proceed cautiously as it attempts to contain Israel’s war against Hamas, which, like Hezbollah, is backed by Iran, from erupting into an all-out regional conflict.
The White House and the Pentagon rushed on Friday, shortly after the attack, to say publicly that Israel had not warned them of the operation.
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“President Biden and I do not want the conflict in the Middle East to escalate into a broader regional war,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday in a statement that echoed Biden’s description of a “measure of justice.” . He added: “Diplomacy remains the best way forward to protect civilians and achieve lasting stability in the region.”
The confirmation of Nasrallah’s death comes during a week that began with Biden’s top national security advisers working on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to build support for a hoped-for 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. that could also breathe new life into the stagnant conflict. efforts to achieve a truce in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a defiant speech on Friday to the United Nations, pledging to continue operations against Hezbollah until tens of thousands of Israeli citizens displaced by rocket attacks can return to their homes. Shortly afterward, Israel carried out the attack, killing Nasrallah.
Biden reiterated on Saturday that he wants to see a ceasefire both in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah.
“It is time for these deals to be struck, for threats to Israel to be eliminated, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability,” Biden said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of supporting the assassination that killed Nasrallah and dozens of others.
“The world community will not forget that the order for the terrorist attack was issued from New York and the Americans cannot exempt themselves from complicity with the Zionists,” Pezeshkian said in a statement read on Iranian state television.
The State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of the families of US diplomats who are not employees of the embassy in Beirut and authorized the departure of those who are, as well as non-essential employees due to “the volatile and unpredictable security situation” in the capital of Lebanon. .
The State Department previously recommended U.S. citizens consider leaving Lebanon and reiterated its warning against all travel to the country.
“Due to increasing volatility following the airstrikes inside Beirut and the volatile and unpredictable security situation throughout Lebanon, the US Embassy urges US citizens to leave Lebanon while trade options are still available,” it said. the department in a statement Saturday.
The State Department routinely orders or authorizes the departure of non-essential embassy staff and diplomats’ families when security conditions deteriorate in the country where they are stationed.
An orderly exit is not technically an evacuation, but it does require those affected to leave. An authorized exit allows those affected to leave the country voluntarily at the government’s expense.
Biden, who was spending the weekend at his vacation home in Delaware, and Harris, who was campaigning in California, held a call with national security aides Saturday to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
On Friday, the president directed the Pentagon to evaluate and adjust, as necessary, the posture of U.S. forces in the region to enhance deterrence, ensure force protection, and support the full range of U.S. objectives.
He called for the assessment after the Pentagon announced earlier in the week that it was sending an unspecified number of additional US troops to the region due to rising tensions.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
