Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah on Tuesday angered Lebanon’s allies, with the country’s foreign minister condemning the operation and calling for an international response to the attacks.
“I wanted to speak to what has happened in the last few hours in the Middle East and make it clear that Israel has the right to defend itself, and I firmly support Israel’s right to remain safe and to defend its security,” Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters after arriving in Atlanta for the rally.
“We know specifically that Hezbollah is indeed a terrorist organization and we have a right to defend ourselves against it. But that being said, we still have to work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks, and we will continue to do that.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday that they had carried out a strike targeting Commander Fuad Shukr, who they believe led an attack that killed 12 children in Israel’s Golan Heights over the weekend.
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The Israel Defense Forces later claimed that Shukr had been “eliminated” in the attack, but the terrorist group has yet to confirm his death. Shukr has a $5 million bounty on his head from the US Justice Rewards Program for his central role in the 1983 bombing of a US Marine base in Beirut, killing 241 US servicemen and wounding 128.
A building damaged by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Marra)
“We continue to work toward a diplomatic solution that will allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes and live in peace and safety,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said at a news conference.
“We want to avoid any kind of escalation,” Patel added, stressing that US support for Israel remains firm.
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White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, reacting to news of the attack in real time, said she could not immediately comment but added, “Of course, we are aware of what is being reported. … We leave it to Israel to speak about its own military operations.”
The White House issued a statement later the same day saying the US commitment to Israel was “ironclad and unwavering against all Iranian-backed threats, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.”
An ambulance arrives after Israeli forces attacked a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
“It is horrifying that this weekend’s attack by Hezbollah in Lebanon left 12 children and young people dead while they were playing soccer,” NSC spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said. “Israel has a right to defend itself against the serious threats it faces.”
“At the same time, the United States continues to work toward a diplomatic solution that will bring an end to these horrific attacks and allow people on both sides to return safely to their homes.”
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Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib said the attack hit a southern suburb of Beirut where Hezbollah operates. He urged Hezbollah to avoid a major escalation and announced that Lebanon would file a complaint with the United Nations.
Iranian proxies were quick to condemn the attack, with Hamas calling it a “dangerous escalation” and the Houthis calling it a “blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
Men walk past rubble and destroyed cars after Israeli military strikes destroyed the top floor of an eight-storey building in the southern outskirts of Beirut on July 30, 2024. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran also condemned the attack. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkam said on Tuesday: “Needless to say, the countries in the region, and especially the rebellious Lebanese people, will, as always, maintain their unity, national cohesion and strong determination to thwart the plots of the Zionist regime disguised as extremism and sectarianism.”
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“The growing trend of violence and extremism resulting from the artificially created crisis in the region is in line with Zionist aims and aggressive plots,” she said.
Russia called the attack a “flagrant violation of international law,” according to Barron’s.
