Biden calls on Israel not to invade Lebanon after Hezbollah leader killed

WASHINGTON – President Biden strongly ordered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to abandon reported plans for an impending invasion of southern Lebanon to clear Hezbollah-controlled areas, days after the killing of Hassan Nasrallah.

“Israel may now launch a limited operation in Lebanon. Are you aware of that? “Are you happy with your plan?” a journalist asked Biden at the White House.

“I'm more aware of it than you probably know, and I'd like it if they stopped it,” the president replied.

“We should have a ceasefire now,” he added.

Biden's clear directive comes at a time when Netanyahu's government is widely expected to invade its northern neighbor to stop the Iran-backed group from doing so in revenge for the death of 64-year-old Nasrallah, who has threatened Hezbollah more than three decades of firing rockets across the border on Friday.

The Israeli airstrike that killed the terrorist leader destroyed a residential area in the Lebanese capital and followed an impressive series of operations to demobilize the radical Shiite group before it had a chance to expand its own operations.

Less than two weeks before the attack, a covert Israeli operation killed at least 42 people and injured thousands more by blowing up the pagers that Hezbollah commanders used to communicate.

Biden had a difficult relationship with Netanyahu, although the outgoing 81-year-old president also portrayed himself as a long-time supporter of Israel.

Last year, Biden declared himself a “Zionist” and traveled to the Jewish state just days after the Hamas massacre of about 1,200 people on October 7 that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

For his support of Israel in this conflict, anti-Israel protesters gave Biden the nickname “Genocide Joe,” which they shouted at Biden at public events and even painted on the gates of the White House.

But Biden also increasingly criticized Netanyahu for the increasing number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and paused the delivery of some heavy bombs to express his disapproval.

If Israel does go ahead with its alleged plans to attack Lebanon, it would not be the first time that a U.S. ally in the region has ignored the demands of an American leader.

In 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invaded Kurdish-controlled parts of northern Syria after Trump withdrew US troops stationed there – with Erdoğan ignoring Trump's blunt warning: “Don't be a tough guy.” Don't be a fool!

That assault ended when the US used sanctions against Turkey to force a ceasefire.