Biden calls death of Hezbollah leader a ‘measure of justice’

President Biden issued a statement Saturday calling the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed a day before in an Israeli strike on Lebanon’s capital city, a “measure of justice.”

“Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror,” Biden wrote in a statement Saturday. “His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”

“The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023,” he added. “Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a ‘northern front’ against Israel.”

His comments come after Hezbollah confirmed early Saturday that Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike on the Lebanese militant group’s headquarters in Beirut. The president also reiterated the U.S. support for Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups,” he wrote, while referencing a new agreement between the U.S. and Israel for an $8.7 billion aid package to “reduce the risk of a broader regional war.”

Israel’s two-day bombing campaign in recent days has killed more than 500 people. The latest strike also comes after the Israeli military was accused of detonating pagers and walkie-talkies used by the groups’ fighters, which killed at least 37 people in Lebanon, injured thousands and sparked fear that a wider war is inevitable. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also recently rejected a U.S. and France-led temporary cease-fire in Lebanon, which would allow for a 21-day truce in the region. In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly Friday, Netanyahu sparked a defiant tone, decrying to “curse” of the Iran-backed groups and vowed to continue fighting.

Biden said Saturday that the ultimately goal is to “de-escalate” fighting in Lebanon and Gaza through diplomatic means. Cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas also appear to be stalled.

“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,” he wrote.