US President Joe Biden made scandalous statements regarding the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by the Israeli army in an operation in Lebanon. Biden emphasized that the US fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself.
“Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror,” Biden said in his official statement.
According to a statement by the White House, Biden described Nasrallah’s death in an Israeli airstrike as “a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”
Biden’s Full Support
Stating that Nasrallah took a side against Israel together with Hamas one day after the October 7, 2023 attacks, Biden emphasized that the US fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself “defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.”
Joe Biden recalled that he ordered the further strengthening of US military units in the Middle East yesterday, stating that this was aimed to “deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war.”
Biden noted the following:
“Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means. 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. 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.”
United States Welcomed the death of Nasrallah with Joy
Several senior US officials told CNN that the news of Nasrallah’s death in a massive Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital Beirut was “celebrated” despite “growing concerns about the possibility of another full-scale war breaking out in the Middle East”.
CNN quoted another senior US official as saying that news of Nasrallah’s death was welcomed and included the official’s statement about the Hezbollah leader saying, “He has massive American blood on his hands.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity was also quoted by CNN in the same report as saying, “Had the events of the past few days taken place six months ago, the risk of a second major war might have been even greater.”
“FIRE RISK IS INCREASING”
Some experts speaking to the US press emphasized that the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah could have a major impact on the spread of conflicts in the Middle East.
Speaking to the New York Times, Julien Barnes-Dacey, director of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Israel’s “assassination of Mr. Nasrallah significantly raises the risk of a dangerous conflagration in the Middle East, and beyond.”
Barnes-Dacey noted that at this point, “It really is a question” whether Hezbollah has the capacity to launch large-scale missile attacks on Israel.
Barnes-Dacey commented that if Hezbollah did not have such a capacity, this could push Iran, which might want to respond directly to Israel, to “make a dash for nuclear weapons” and that Iran would see nuclear as “their only effective form of deterrence left standing”.
It also quoted Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the conflict prevention organization International Crisis Group, as saying, “Iran’s choices really range from ugly to unpalatable.”
