US President Joe Biden said he was closely monitoring the situation in Israel and Lebanon as the Israeli military launched a preemptive strike on Hezbollah.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 25th (local time), White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Sean Sabet said in a statement, “President Biden is closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,” and “President Biden has instructed national security officials to maintain constant contact with their Israeli counterparts.”
He added, “We will continue to support Israel’s right to self-defense and work for regional stability.”
The Israeli military announced that it was carrying out a preemptive strike against Hezbollah after detecting preparations for a “large-scale” attack by Hezbollah at 5 a.m. (11 a.m. Korean time) that day. Minister Galland has declared a state of national emergency in Israel for the next 48 hours.
Hezbollah said it had launched a massive drone and rocket attack on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of its top commander, Fuad Shurk. According to local media, more than 100 rockets have been fired from Lebanon so far.
A senior U.S. official told the Times that the U.S. had no advance notice of Israel’s intention to launch a preemptive strike, although another official said Israel had briefed U.S. officials over the past 24 hours, including that Hezbollah was planning an attack early on the morning of the 25th.
As the situation became more tense, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant spoke by phone with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“We conducted precision strikes in Lebanon to deter an imminent threat to Israeli civilians,” Galant told Secretary Austin. “We are closely monitoring the situation in Beirut, and we are determined to use every means at our disposal to protect our civilians.”
Minister Galland also described the IDF’s airstrikes in Lebanon, and the two ministers “discussed the importance of preventing escalation in the region,” the Israeli Defense Ministry said.
(Seoul = News 1)
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2024-08-25 22:51:59