President Joe Biden said Saturday that the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut means “a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese civilians.”
Nasrallah was killed in massive Israeli airstrikes on southern parts of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday.
Biden further pointed out that Nasrallah also supported Hamas the day after the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, when the Islamist movement killed around 1,200 people and abducted 250 hostages.
Since then, Israeli airstrikes have left large parts of the Gaza Strip in ruins, and more than 41,000 people have been killed, according to the Palestinian authorities. Almost all of the 2.3 million residents there have been forced to leave their homes.
Diplomacy without results
For months, the Biden administration has worked diplomatically without success to get a ceasefire in place to end the Gaza war, and in the last week also to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
– It is time for a ceasefire, Biden said when he was asked on Saturday whether an Israeli ground invasion is inevitable.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been instructed to further strengthen the US military presence in the Middle East, says a statement from the White House. This should act as a deterrent and reduce the risk of a wider war, it says
Harris stands behind the statement
Vice-president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris stands behind Biden’s support for the liquidation of Nasrallah, and says she is committed to defending Israel.
– President Biden and I do not want to see the conflict in the Middle East escalate into a wider regional war, says Harris in a statement.
– Diplomacy is still the best way forward to protect civilians and establish lasting stability in the region, she says further.
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2024-09-29 04:42:00
