United States President Joe Biden on Saturday reacted to the killing of Hezbollah leader and co-founder Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike, calling it a "measure of justice" for the victims who died over a "four-decade reign of terror". He also expressed his support for Israel and its "right to defend itself".
Biden's statement came hours after the Iran-backed military group confirmed Nasrallah's death on Saturday, following an announcement by the Israel Defence Forces. Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Friday, September 27, in a targeted Israeli airstrike in Lebanon's Beirut.
In a statement issued by the White House, Biden noted that the strike that killed Nasrallah "took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas's massacre" which took place on October 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.
The Hezbollah chief was killed on the day Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York. He had vowed to "continue degrading Hezbollah" in his UN address. Netanyahu had cut his trip short and flew back to his country after IDF struck Hezbollah in Beirut.
Biden stated that the "US supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other Iranian-supported terrorist groups". He also mentioned that he had directed the US Secretary of Defence to enhance military forces in the Middle East region to reduce risk of a broader regional war.
He reiterated his aim to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon through diplomacy. "In Gaza, we have been pursuing a deal backed by the UN Security Council for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. In Lebanon, we have been negotiating a deal that would return people safely to their homes in Israel and southern Lebanon," the statement noted.
Biden emphasised the need to close the ceasefire deals and "removal of threats to Israel" so that the broader Middle East region could gain greater stability.
US Orders Families Of Diplomats, Non-Essential Embassy Employees To Leave Lebanon
The State Department on Saturday ordered the departure of the families of some of the US diplomats who are not employed in the Beirut embassy. It also authorised the departure of nonessential employees amid the "volatile and unpredictable security situation" in Beirut after Nasrallah's killing.
The US State Department had also advised Americans to leave Lebanon and warned against all travel to the country. "Due to the increased volatility following airstrikes within Beirut and the volatile and unpredictable security situation throughout Lebanon, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial options still remain available," the department said in a statement on Saturday.
UN Secretary General Expresses Concern, Urges All Sides To Step Back
As situation in the Middle East remained tense with the possibility of an all-out regional war, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern after Israel's strike on Beirut saying, "I'm gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut in the last 24 hours. This cycle of violence must stop now. All sides must step back from the brink."
"The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war,' he said, in a post on X.