By AAMER MADHANI and MATTHEW LEE
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) – The Israeli attack that killed Hezbollahs Hassan Nasrallah is a “measure of justice” for the victims of a four-decade “reign of terror,” President Joe Biden said on Saturday.
The comments got here after the Lebanese Hezbollah group confirmed earlier on Saturday that Nasrallah, one in every of the group's founders, was 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 a so-called 'Northern Front' against Israel,” Biden said in a press release.
He also identified that Hezbollah, under Nasrallah's leadership, was accountable for the deaths of 1000’s of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese.
Hezbollah's attacks against U.S. interests include the truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy and multinational military barracks in Beirut in 1983, and the kidnapping of the Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in Beirut, who died in captivity. The US said Hezbollah leaders armed and trained militias that carried out attacks on American forces throughout the war in Iraq.
The White House considers Nasrallah's death a serious blow to the group. At the identical time, the federal government has tried to tread cautiously and stop Israel's war with Hamas, which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran, from escalating right into a full-scale regional conflict.
The White House and Pentagon rushed to publicly say on Friday, shortly after the attack, that Israel had given no advance warning of the operation.
“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 press release that reiterated Biden’s description of a “measure of justice.” She added: “Diplomacy remains the best way to protect civilians and achieve lasting stability in the region.”
The confirmation of Nasrallah's death is available in per week that began with Biden's top national security advisers working on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly to drum up support for what they hoped can be a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah Efforts to succeed in a ceasefire in Gaza could also breathe latest life into the deadlock.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a defiant speech On Friday, he pledged to the United Nations to proceed operations against Hezbollah until tens of 1000’s of Israeli residents displaced by rocket attacks can return home. Shortly thereafter, Israel carried out the attack and killed Nasrallah.
Biden reiterated on Saturday that he wants ceasefires each within the Gaza Strip and between Israel and Hezbollah.
“It is time for these deals to be completed, for the threats to Israel to be eliminated and for the entire Middle East region to achieve greater stability,” Biden said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of supporting the murder of Nasrallah and dozens of others.
“The world community will not forget that the order for the terrorist attack was given from New York and the Americans cannot absolve themselves of complicity with the Zionists,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying in a press release read on Iranian state television.
The State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of the families of U.S. diplomats not employed on the embassy in Beirut and authorized the departure of those employed on the embassy in Beirut and non-essential personnel as a consequence of “the volatile and unpredictable nature of the situation.” Security situation” within the Lebanese capital.
The State Department has previously advised U.S. residents to contemplate leaving Lebanon and reiterated its warning against any travel to the country.
“Due to increased volatility following airstrikes in Beirut and the volatile and unpredictable security situation throughout Lebanon, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial options are still available,” the ministry said in a press release on Saturday .
The State Department often orders or authorizes the departure of non-essential embassy employees and members of the family of diplomats when security conditions deteriorate within the country by which they’re stationed.
An ordered departure is just not technically an evacuation, however it does require those affected to go away the country. An approved exit enables those affected to go away the country voluntarily on the state's expense.
Biden directed the Pentagon on Friday to evaluate and adjust as crucial the posture of U.S. forces within the region to strengthen deterrence, ensure force protection and support the complete spectrum of U.S. objectives.
The president called for the assessment after the Pentagon announced earlier this week that it could send an unspecified variety of U.S. troops additional US troops within the region due to rising tensions.
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