Biden urges doing everything to avoid escalating Middle East tensions

By AJP Posted : September 23, 2024, 13:02 Updated : September 23, 2024, 13:03
 
U.S. President Joe Biden talks to reporters in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 22, 2024. EPA-Yonhap
SEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - U.S. President Biden announced on Sunday that the U.S. is working to prevent a broader conflict in the Middle East. "We're doing everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out," Biden said, addressing concerns about rising tensions in the region.

Biden's remarks followed a surge in violence between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group in Lebanon. On Saturday, Lebanon's health minister, Firass Abiad, reported that more than 30 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting Hezbollah in Beirut. The attack, which occurred on Friday, left 31 people dead, including seven women and three children. Abiad also noted that 68 others were injured, with 15 still hospitalized.

According to the Israeli military, the airstrike killed the head of Hezbollah's operations unit and the commander of its elite Radwan Force, along with other senior commanders. The attack was in retaliation for Hezbollah launching about 140 rockets into Israel, most of which were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.

In addition to the airstrike, earlier attacks in Lebanon involving pager and handheld radio devices on Tuesday and Wednesday resulted in 37 deaths and left thousands injured.

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