'We really have to avoid it': Biden urges avoidance of all-out war as Israel-Hezbollah tensions escalate

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 Biden urges avoidance of all-out war as Israel-Hezbollah tensions escalate

US President Joe

Biden

on Sunday has called attention to the necessity of avoiding an all-out war in the

Middle East

as tensions escalate between

Israel

and

Hezbollah

. “It has to be,” Biden said to reporters as he boarded Air Force One for Washington. “We really have to avoid it.”
His comments come after a series of Israeli

airstrikes

in Lebanon that resulted in numerous casualties over the weekend. Biden did not disclose when he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu

, as per the Associated Press. However, the situation remains intense, with tens of thousands of civilians displaced on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.
Hezbollah has faced major losses, including the death of its leader,

Hassan Nasrallah

, in an Israeli offensive aimed at destroying the group’s command centre. National security spokesman

John Kirby

claimed that Israel has “wiped out” Hezbollah’s leadership through a barrage of airstrikes. However, Kirby warned that Hezbollah will likely seek to rebuild quickly, saying, “I think people are safer without him walking around... but they will try to recover.”
Kirby refrained from commenting on whether the Biden administration supports the Israeli strategy of targeting Hezbollah leaders, who reportedly operate near civilian sites. The strikes have drawn criticism for causing

civilian casualties

, according to Lebanese officials.
The White House continues to advocate for a 21-day temporary

cease-fire

, proposed by the US, France, and other nations during the recent UN General Assembly. “If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course,” Kirby asserted during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

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