Israeli strike that killed terrorist responsible for bombings is “very concerning,” says Biden administration official.
By World Israel News Staff
Biden administration officials praised a recent Israeli airstrike that killed a senior Hezbollah leader, but expressed their concerns that the assassination would lead to an all-out war between Israel and the terror group.
On Friday, Israeli jets carried out a targeted airstrike on a building in Dahiyeh, a Beirut suburb and Hezbollah stronghold.
Senior Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed in the bombing.
Before his slaying, the U.S. had offered a $7 million reward for information leading to Aqil’s arrest, due to his involvement in a 1983 bombing that killed 241 American soldiers in Beirut.
“Any time a terrorist who has murdered Americans is brought to justice, we believe that that is a good outcome,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press conference shortly after the srike.
“That individual has American blood on his hands and has a Reward for Justice price on his head,” Sullivan added. “He is somebody who the United States promised long ago we would do everything we could to see brought to justice.”
Sullivan said that he believe Aqil’s assassination had brought relief to those whose loved ones were murdered in the bombing, some 40 years ago.
“You know 1983 seems like a long time ago,” he said. “But for a lot of families and a lot of people, they’re still living with it every day.”
However, Sullivan said he was worried that Israel’s strike could bring on an all-out war.
Speaking at the Israeli-American Council Confernece on Friday, White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk also praised the strike.
However, McGurk quickly segued into deanding that Israel step back from taking military action against Hezbollah, despite some eleven months of non-stop rocket fire from the terror group on Israel’s north.
“Nobody sheds a tear” for Aqil, McGurk said.
“That said, we have disagreements with the Israelis on tactics and how you kind of measure escalation risk. It is a very concerning situation. I’m very confident that through diplomacy, through deterrence and other means, we’ll work our way out of it,” he added.
“We do not think a war in Lebanon is the way to achieve the objective, to return people to their homes. We also fully stand with Israel in their defense of their people and their territory against Hezbollah,” McGurk continued.
“We want a diplomatic settlement to the north. That is the objective, and that’s what we’re working towards.”