Harris says Israel has right to defend itself as Iran, Russia and Lebanon condemn IDF strike on Hezbollah

Israel’s strike on Hezbollah Tuesday prompted anger from Lebanon’s allies, and the country’s foreign minister condemned the operation and urged an international response to the attack. 

“I wanted to address what happened over the last few hours in terms of the Middle East and be very clear Israel has the right to defend itself. And I unequivocally support Israel’s right to remain secure and defend the security of Israel,” Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters after arriving in Atlanta for a rally. 

“What we know in particular is, yes, it has the right to defend itself against the terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is. But all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks. We will continue to do that work.”

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced it had carried out a strike Tuesday that targeted Fuad Shukr, the commander accused of orchestrating an attack that killed a dozen children in Israel’s Golan Heights over the weekend. 

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The IDF later claimed its strike “eliminated” him, although the terror group had not yet confirmed his death. Shukr has a $5 million bounty from the U.S. Rewards for Justice program for his central role in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. military personnel and wounded 128 others. 

“We’re continuing to work toward a diplomatic resolution that would allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes and live in peace and security,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a briefing.

“We certainly want to avoid any kind of escalation,” Patel added, stressing that U.S. support for Israel remains ironclad. 

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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to news of the attack in real time, saying she didn’t have an immediate comment available, but adding that “obviously we are aware of the reports out there. … I leave it to Israel to speak for their own military operations.”

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the strike hit the southern suburbs of Beirut, which serves as the heart of Hezbollah’s operations. Habib announced Lebanon would file a complaint with the United Nations even as he urged Hezbollah to avoid major escalation. 

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Iran proxies quickly joined condemnation of the attack. Hamas labeled the strike a “dangerous escalation,” and the Houthis called the attack a “blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty.” 

Iran also condemned the attack. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham said Tuesday that “it goes without saying that the regional states, especially the resistant Lebanese people, will thwart the Zionist regime’s plots under the guise of extremism and sectarianism in the region like before through maintaining their unity and national solidarity as well as strong determination. 

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“The trend of spreading of violence and extremism in the region which emanates from an engineered crisis in the region is in line with serving the objectives and aggressive plots of the Zionists,” she said. 

Russia called the attack a “gross violation of international law,” according to Barron’s.