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Biden ‘closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon,’ White House says: ‘At his direction, senior US officials have…’
“He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening,” White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said of Joe Biden.
White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett has said that president Joe Biden is “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon.” Hezbollah has reportedly said that it has completed the first phase of its attack on Israel with “a large number of missiles” in response to commander Fuad Shukr’s killing. The Lebanese group said that it has fired over 320 Katyusha rockets at 11 Israeli military bases and barracks, which include the Meron base and four sites in the occupied Golan Heights.
“He has been engaged with his national security team throughout the evening,” Savett said of Biden. “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.”
‘And the drones have passed as planned’
Hezbollah said that it targeted military bases to “facilitate the passage of drones” towards their desired targets deep inside Israel. “And the drones have passed as planned,” the group added.
This comes after Israel launched several air strikes on southern Lebanon in a “preemptive” attack launched after the country detected Hezbollah’s preparation to attack northern Israel.
Hezbollah and Israel have been fighting since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October, but this was a significant escalation. Reports of injuries have emerged in northern Israel, and Israeli cities have opened public bomb shelters. “There are reports that this initial wave of attacks in southern Lebanon has now ended, so we’re waiting to hear from the Israeli military to see whether or not they plan to carry out more strikes, which could, in turn, trigger a Hezbollah response and expand this conflict,” Al Jazeera quoted journalist Zeina Khodr as reporting from Beirut.
“This is, and has been, a very dangerous conflict, even though largely contained, there is a real concern that it could expand and spiral out of control,” Khodr added.
