Update(1340ET): The White House has finally put out a statement by early Saturday afternoon. President Biden has called Nasrallah's death 'justice' for the hundreds of Americans who perished over what the US called a 'four-decade reign of terror'.
"Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror. His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians," Biden said. The White House says the Pentagon has been ordered to enhance America's defense posture and readiness in the Middle East.
Biden has further repeated that the US "fully supports Israel's right to defend itself"...
"The US fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah. I have ordered Defense Secretary Austin to increase US forces in the Middle East to deter aggression from Iran and its proxies and reduce the danger of a wider regional war," Biden said.
Politico and some other publications have said the assassination of Nasrallah, apparently without US knowledge (that's the current official line anyway), has put more distance between Biden and Netanyahu. "Biden administration officials were trying to figure out how to publicly respond Saturday to confirmation that Israel had killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group," the publication said.
"The initial reaction from inside the White House was positive, even though U.S. officials had been trying to convince Israel to pause its operations against Hezbollah, according to two senior administration officials," it added.
Russia's reaction has been the opposite, with the foreign ministry saying, "This forceful action is fraught with even greater dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East."
"The Israeli side could not fail to recognize this danger, but took the step of killing Lebanese citizens, which would almost inevitably provoke a new outburst of violence. Thus, it bears full responsibility for the subsequent escalation," the Russian statement said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - who has been transferred to a secretive and secure location - has declared five days of public mourning for Hassan Nasrallah.
"I … offer my condolences for the martyrdom of the great Nasrallah and his martyred companions and announce five days of public mourning in Islamic Iran," Khamenei said according to the official IRNA news agency.
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