Washington, D.C., – President Biden declared the murder of Hassan Nasrallahthe general leader of the Iran-backed group Hezbollahin an airstrike on Friday in Beirut, Lebanon was a “measure of justice” for its many victims.
In a statement released by the White House, Mr. Biden said that “Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans during a four-decade reign of terror “, including thousands of Israeli and Lebanese civilians. Nasrallah’s assassination, which the statement said took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, occurred after the Hezbollah leader “made the decision fateful to join forces with Hamas and open what it called a “northern front” against Israel.”
Hezbollah has been firing rockets and drones across Lebanon’s southern border into Israel for nearly a year, amid the country’s war with Hamas.
Nasrallah was killed in a series of massive explosions targeting the leaders of the militant group, which began with the explosion of numerous pagers across Lebanon on September 18 killing at least 12 people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah and two children – and injuring several thousand, according to the Lebanese Minister of Public Health.
Strikes have intensified in recent days, with a senior US administration official describing the situation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon as “delicate and dangerous”. More than 500 people were killed in Lebanon on Monday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, as missiles struck residential buildings. Israel said it was targeting Hezbollah weapons hidden in the building.
When asked by reporters on Saturday whether an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon was inevitable, Mr. Biden replied: “It’s time to establish a ceasefire.”
Tensions in the Middle East have engulfed the final – and final – year of Mr. Biden’s presidency. His administration said the United States “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-backed terrorist group,” and he asked the defense secretary to “further strengthen” the defense posture of the United States. military forces in the Middle East.
Mr. Biden said in the statement that his administration had the ultimate goal of deescalating ongoing conflicts through diplomatic means.
During his final speech to the United Nations General Assembly As President Biden said Thursday, “full-scale war is in no one’s interest.”
