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Biden affirms Israel’s right to self-defense after pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah

The White House appeared to endorse Israel’s pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah Sunday, after Israeli intelligence warned of impending mass attack.

By World Israel News Staff

The Biden administration appeared to give its backing to a series of pre-emptive Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon Sunday, after the IDF bombed missile and rocket emplacements it said were minutes away from being used in a massive attack on major strategic positions in northern and central Israel.

National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett told reporters that President Joe Biden is “is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,” and that the president “has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening. ”

Savett added that in the wake of the Israeli airstrikes, the White House reaffirmed American support for Israel’s right to self-defense, and emphasized that top administration officials are in contact with Israeli leaders to monitor the situation.

“At his direction, senior US officials have been communicating continuously with their Israeli counterparts.  We will keep supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, and we will keep working for regional stability.”

Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (Likud) had spoken over the phone with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

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According to the ministry statement, Gallant briefed the Secretary on IDF activities against Hezbollah in Lebanon Sunday morning, carried out “in order to thwart an imminent threat against the State of Israel.”

“We have conducted precise strikes in Lebanon in order to thwart an imminent threat against the citizens of Israel,” said Gallant. “We are closely following developments in Beirut, and we are determined to use all the means at our disposal in order to defend our citizens.”

The United Nations called on both Israel and Hezbollah Sunday to “refrain from further escalatory action.”

“A return to the cessation of hostilities, followed by the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1701, is the only sustainable way forward,” said the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in a joint statement.

“We will continue our contacts to strongly urge for de-escalation.”