Netanyahu says killing of Hezbollah leader was 'necessary' as Biden voices support

Sept. 28 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was "necessary" while U.S. President Joe Biden said it represented "a measure of justice" for Hezbollah's victims.

Nasrallah and other Hezbollah commanders died in a targeted aerial strike on Hezbollah's command center south of Beirut on Friday, marking a dramatic escalation in the year-long conflict between the Lebanese Shiite militia and Israel.

In his first detailed official statement following Nasrallah's death, Netanyahu said that Israel had "settled accounts with someone who was responsible for the murders of countless Israelis and many nationals of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French."

Nasrallah, he asserted, "was not just another terrorist, he was the terrorist. He was the axis of the axis, the main engine of Iran's axis of evil. He and his people were the architects of the plan to destroy Israel. He was not only operated by Iran, he also frequently operated Iran."

The Israeli leader he "came to the conclusion that the powerful blows that the IDF has been landing on Hezbollah in recent days were not enough.

"The elimination of Nasrallah is a necessary condition in achieving the objectives we have set: Returning the residents of the north safely to their homes, and changing the balance of power in the region for years."

Biden, meanwhile, voiced his support for the stunning Israeli move, which has brought vows of revenge from Hezbollah, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Palestinian militant group Hamas .

"Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror," the U.S. president said in a statement . "His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.

"The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict that began with Hamas's massacre on October 7, 2023. Nasrallah, the next day, made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a 'northern front' against Israel," Biden said.

Washington "fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups," he said, while adding that "ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means."

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri , however, condemned what he called the "assassination of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah ," which he said "has plunged Lebanon and the region into a new phase of violence.

"It is a cowardly act condemned in its entirety by us, who paid dearly for our loved ones when assassination became an alternative to politics."

Khamenei declared five days of national mourning following "the martyrdom" of the Hezbollah chief and said the militia will "be strengthened by blood of Nasrallah and other martyrs of the Beirut attack."

The Iranian leader said Saturday it is "an obligation for all Muslims to stand with the people of Lebanon and the honorable Hezbollah, offering their resources and assistance as Hezbollah confronts the usurping, cruel, malicious (Zionist) regime."

Hezbollah leaders confirmed Nasrallah's death and those of several others after the IDF air strikes destroyed several high-rise apartment buildings in Beirut.

The attacks killed at 11 people and injured 108, Lebanon's Health Ministry said in a Saturday update .

Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Adm. Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah was planning a major incursion into northern Israel, which Hezbollah has targeted with rocket and drone attacks since Oct. 8.

Hagari said Hezbollah was planning an attack of Israel's civilian population that would have been much larger and more destructive than the Oct. 7 attack carried out by Hamas.

Hezbollah's southern front commander Ali Karki and other Hezbollah commanders who were operating from a command center that was placed under six apartment buildings in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiya also died in the air strikes.

The IDF said it deliberately chose to strike the buildings during the afternoon to minimize civilian casualties and launched additional air strikes to destroy stores of Hezbollah weapons.

Also killed was Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan, who the United States said was the deputy commander for IRGC operations and led "protest suppression" in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini after she had been arrested and killed while in custody in Iran.

Although the Hezbollah central command center was embedded in a residential area, Hagari said the center was a legitimate military target under international law.

"Nasrallah intentionally built Hezbollah's central headquarters under residential buildings in Dahiya, Beirut, because Hezbollah intentionally uses Lebanese civilians as human shields," Hagari said. "While Hezbollah seeks to maximize civilian harm, Israel seeks to minimize it."

"Our war is not with the Lebanese people," he added. "Our war is with Hezbollah."

He said Hezbollah "chose to join the war that Hamas started. There are consequences for that decision."

Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi warned that "this is not the end of our toolbox" after Nasrallah died.

"It should be very clear: there are further tools going forward," he said. "And the message is clear: anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel, we will know how to reach them, in the north, in the south, and also farther away," Halevi said in a video released Saturday.

He added that Israel's military is prepared "along all our fronts."

In Tel Aviv, the Israeli government will not allow gatherings of more than 1,000 people as well as the nearby city of Netanya and several other areas of Israel, according to guidelines published on Saturday.

Israeli captives still in Gaza stands at 101, including 35 believed to be dead, according to data from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

In Gaza, Israeli attacks killed at least six Palestinians and injured others overnight, according to statements from the Palestinian Civil Defense in the strip.

A missile launched toward Israel from Yemen was intercepted before reaching the country, IDF said Saturday,