The President of the United States, Joe Bidensaid this Sunday that he would soon meet with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuand declared that “all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided following the latest Israeli attacks in Lebanon and the death of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.
About to board the presidential plane, Biden briefly answered a few questions from accompanying journalists about the situation in Lebanon, where Israeli bombing decapitated Hezbollah’s military leadership after a an unprecedented escalation of war.
Asked if he would deal with Netanyahu, Biden replied: “Yes, I will talk to him and I will tell you when I do.” And, when asked whether all-out war in the region could be avoided, he replied: “This should be avoided. It should really be avoided. “We have already taken precautions regarding our embassies and our staff who wish to leave.”
Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby told ABC News today that the Homeland Security command structure Hezbollah is “almost decimated” but he estimated that “someone will soon be appointed” to lead the country, and noted that the United States was considering possible retaliation from Iran. “We are monitoring this closely to see how and if Hezbollah or Iran might respond, as well as militias in Iraq and Syria.. We have to prepare for some type of response,” said Kirby, who has confidence in the forces already deployed to the region.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin today issued a warning to Iran and its partners: would take “action” if they threatened U.S. interests or personnel in the region. The United States has “additional” troops ready to deploy to the Middle East in case of possible “contingencies” and will strengthen its air defense capabilities in the coming days, the Pentagon reported this morning.
Yesterday, the United States evacuated its embassy in Lebanon maintaining only essential personnel and warned that it could impose new restrictions on travel of American personnel for security reasons in the context of the Israeli offensive and the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
