This is a death in Lebanon viewed favorably by Washington. The assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli army strike near Beirut is “a measure of justice,” President Joe Biden and his vice-president Kamala Harris ruled on Saturday.
The reaction of the United States, Israel’s primary military and diplomatic supporter, contrasts with that of the UN and European countries, which were initially concerned about risks of escalation in the region. However, Washington also stressed the need to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in the Middle East, and warned against a conflagration in the region.
A “terrorist with American blood on his hands”
Hassan Nasrallah was a “terrorist with American blood on his hands,” said Kamala Harris, Democratic candidate in November’s U.S. presidential election. “I will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis,” she insisted. But “diplomacy remains the best path forward to protect civilians and achieve lasting stability in the region.”
Kamala Harris was scheduled to participate with the president in a meeting on Saturday on the situation in the Middle East, also aimed at “assessing the state of the military presence in the region,” according to the White House.
American citizens called to leave Lebanon
“Our objective is to defuse the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means,” Joe Biden, for his part, underlined in a separate statement, calling for the conclusion of an agreement allowing residents “to return home in Israel and southern Lebanon. He recalled having asked the Pentagon the day before to “strengthen the defense system of American military forces in the Middle East” in order to “reduce the risk of a large-scale regional war”.
Our file on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The American State Department also ordered on Saturday the departure of the families of employees of its embassy in Lebanon “due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in Beirut”. He also urged American citizens “to leave Lebanon while trade options remain available.”
