Biden, Harris call Israeli strike killing Hezbollah leader a ‘measure of justice’

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — 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 earlier on Saturday that Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders, had been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the day before.

Biden noted that the operation to eliminate Nasrallah took place within the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023.

“Nasrallah made the fateful decision the next day to join forces with Hamas and open what he called a ‘northern front’ against Israel,” Biden said in a statement.

He also pointed out that Hezbollah, under Nasrallah’s leadership, was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese.

Hezbollah attacks on American interests include the truck bombing of the American embassy and multinational forces barracks in Beirut in 1983 and the kidnapping of the Central Intelligence Agency station chief in Beirut, who died while he was being held captive. The United States has said Hezbollah leaders armed and trained the militias that carried out attacks against American forces during the Iraq War.

The White House views Nasrallah’s death as a major blow to the group. At the same time, the administration has sought to err on the side of caution in trying to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas, which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran, from exploding into a full-blown regional conflict.

The White House and Pentagon were quick to publicly state on Friday, shortly after the attack, that Israel had offered no warning about the operation.

“President Biden and I do not want to see the conflict in the Middle East escalate into a broader regional war,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Saturday in a statement echoing Biden’s description of a “measure of justice”. She added: “Diplomacy remains the best path 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 aides working on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to build support for a ceasefire of 21 days between Israel and Hezbollah which, they hoped, could also breathe new life into the blocked country. efforts to secure a truce in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant speech to the United Nations on Friday, pledging to continue operations against Hezbollah until tens of thousands of Israeli citizens displaced by rocket attacks can return home. them. Shortly after, Israel carried out a strike killing Nasrallah.

Biden reiterated Saturday that he wants a ceasefire both in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah.

“It is time for these agreements to be reached, for the threats against Israel to be removed, and for the Middle East region as a whole to achieve greater stability,” Biden said.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of supporting the killing of Nasrallah and dozens of others.

“The world community will not forget that the order for the terrorist attack was issued from New York and that Americans cannot absolve themselves from complicity with the Zionists,” Pezeshkian said in a statement read to the Iranian state television.

The State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of the families of American diplomats who are not employed by the embassy in Beirut and authorized the departure of those who are, as well as non-essential employees, due to “the situation volatile and unpredictable security” in the Lebanese capital. .

The State Department previously advised U.S. citizens to consider leaving Lebanon and reiterated its warning against travel to the country.

“Due to increased volatility following the airstrikes in Beirut and the volatile and unpredictable security situation throughout Lebanon, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon while trade options remain available,” it said on Saturday the department in a press release.

The State Department routinely orders or authorizes the departure of non-essential embassy personnel and diplomats’ families when security conditions deteriorate in the country where they are assigned.

An orderly departure is not technically an evacuation but requires those affected to leave. Authorized departure allows affected individuals to voluntarily leave the country at government expense.

Biden, who was spending the weekend at his Delaware vacation home, and Harris, who was campaigning in California, had a phone call Saturday with national security aides to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

In a brief exchange with reporters as he left the church on Saturday, Biden did not directly answer questions about the possibility of a further escalation of the conflict.

“It is time for a ceasefire,” he said.

The president on Friday ordered the Pentagon to assess and adjust as necessary the posture of U.S. forces in the region to strengthen deterrence, ensure force protection and support overall U.S. objectives.

He requested an assessment after the Pentagon announced earlier in the week that it would send an unspecified number of additional U.S. troops to the region due to growing tensions.