President Biden said on Sunday he would meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he believed a broader war in the region “must be avoided.”
Asked if an all-out war in the region could be avoided, Biden said: “We have to.”
“We really have to avoid it,” Biden told reporters before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington.
Biden did not specify when he planned to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The remarks came amid rising tensions in the region. Israel launched a series of airstrikes that wiped out much of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah's chain of command, including its decades-long leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah confirmed this weekend that Prime Minister Nasrallah and other senior officials were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The Biden administration celebrated the Israeli airstrike that killed Nasrallah and called his death “a measure of justice.”
Biden: “Hassan Nasrallah and his terrorist organization Hezbollah are responsible for killing hundreds of Americans during their 40-year reign of terror.''wrote in a statementSaturday. “His death in an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”
Biden reiterated the United States' support for “Israel's right to protect itself from Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups.”
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Sunday that Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah leadership were “good for the world.” He also stressed the importance of preventing regional wars.
“I think destroying Hezbollah's chain of command certainly works to Israel's advantage,” Kirby said. “In fact, it’s good for the region and good for the world.”
Biden said Saturday that his ultimate goal is to “de-escalate” fighting in Lebanon and Gaza through diplomatic channels.
“The time has come for these agreements to be concluded, the threat to Israel removed, and the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability,” he wrote.
