President Joe Biden was met with criticism for his response to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after an Israeli airstrike hit the terrorist group’s headquarters in Lebanon on Friday.
Biden once again urged the need for a ceasefire deal from Israel despite terrorist groups attacking one of the United State’s allies for nearly a year. According to the Times of Israel, the U.S. was upset and felt misled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the news of the strike broke out.
In the president’s statement, Biden said the U.S. “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups” but stressed that both sides need to damper down its “aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war.”
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.
According to the outlet, Israel kept the planned strike on Hezbollah under wraps out of fear the Biden Administration would interfere with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attack.
At the same time, Netanyahu and his Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer, discussed a potential ceasefire deal in Lebanon with the Biden Administration. Dermer was finalizing the details of the proposal while Netanyahu was simultaneously determining whether to strike Hezbollah.
Channel 12’s diplomatic correspondent Dana Weiss argued they were played from the U.S. “point of view.”
“[Netanyahu and Dermer] were advancing an initiative” with the U.S, “and then they were only told at the last minute about the attack,” she added.