United States’ President, Joe Biden, has applauded the Israeli airstrike that killed leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, Hassan Nasrallah, describing it as a “measure of justice” for his four-decade reign of terror.
According to AP news agency, Biden’s comments on Saturday came after Lebanon’s Hezbollah group confirmed earlier 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 take out Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’ massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a ‘northern front’ against Israel,” Biden said in a statement.
He also noted that Hezbollah under Nasrallah’s watch had been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans.
The White House sees the death of Nasrallah as a huge blow to the group.
At the same time, the administration has sought to tread carefully as it has tried to contain Israel’s war with Hamas, which, like Hezbollah, is backed by Iran, from exploding into an all-out regional conflict.
The White House and Pentagon were quick on Friday, shortly after the strike, to say publicly that Israel offered it no forewarning of the operation.
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 21-day Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire that they hoped might also breathe new life into stalled efforts to secure a truce in Gaza.
Biden, however, reiterated on Saturday that he wanted to see cease-fires both in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah.
“It is time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability,” Biden said.
Meanwhile, the State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of the families of U.S. diplomats who are not employed by the embassy in Beirut and authorised the departure of those who are, as well as nonessential employees because of “the volatile and unpredictable security situation” in Lebanon’s capital.
