US President Joe Biden on Sunday has called attention to the necessity of avoiding an all-out war in the Middle East as tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah. “It has to be,” Biden said to reporters as he boarded Air Force One for Washington. “We really have to avoid it.”
His comments come after a series of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that resulted in numerous casualties over the weekend. Biden did not disclose when he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as per the Associated Press. However, the situation remains intense, with tens of thousands of civilians displaced on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hezbollah has faced major losses, including the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an Israeli offensive aimed at destroying the group’s command centre. National security spokesman John Kirby claimed that Israel has “wiped out” Hezbollah’s leadership through a barrage of airstrikes. However, Kirby warned that Hezbollah will likely seek to rebuild quickly, saying, “I think people are safer without him walking around… but they will try to recover.”
Kirby refrained from commenting on whether the Biden administration supports the Israeli strategy of targeting Hezbollah leaders, who reportedly operate near civilian sites. The strikes have drawn criticism for causing civilian casualties, according to Lebanese officials.
The White House continues to advocate for a 21-day temporary cease-fire, proposed by the US, France, and other nations during the recent UN General Assembly. “If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course,” Kirby asserted during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”