By Abiola Olawale
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has declared that the world is safer after the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party, Hezbollah.
This is as Blinken described the Hezbollah chief as a “brutal terrorist” while insisting diplomacy was the Middle East’s best chance at stability.
He said: “The region, the world is safer without him.
“Hassan Nasrallah was a brutal terrorist whose many victims included Americans, Israelis, civilians in Lebanon, civilians in Syria and many others as well.
“During his leadership of Hezbollah, the group terrorized people across the region and prevented Lebanon from fully moving forward as a country.”
Blinken added that despite the dramatic escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the United States still believes diplomacy is the best path forward for the region.
He continued: “The United States will continue to work with our partners in the region and around the world to advance a diplomatic resolution that provides real security to Israel to Lebanon and allows citizens on both sides of the border to return to their homes.
“We, likewise, will continue working to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza that brings the hostages home, eases the suffering in Gaza, and preserves the possibility of a more lasting, secure peace for the entire region.”
It would be recalled that the Israeli military, on Saturday, claimed it killed Hezbollah’s leader in an air attack on Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.
The death of Nasrallah has sent shockwaves throughout Lebanon and the Middle East, where he has been a dominant political and military figure for more than three decades.
However, U.S. President Joe Biden while reacting said the Israeli strike was a “measure of justice” for victims of Hezbollah’s “reign of terror.”
