Biden: America Will Do 'Whatever It Takes' to Prevent Widespread War in the Middle East

The President of the United States expressed ongoing concerns about the current tensions in the Middle East, stating that America will do 'whatever it takes' to prevent a 'wider war.' Joe Biden made these remarks on Sunday, October 1, amid rising fears of escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which could lead to a broader regional confrontation. He said, 'We are still pushing hard [to prevent a wider war].' Biden's comments came after returning to Washington from Wilmington, Delaware, where he hosted leaders of the group known as 'Quad' (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), which includes Australia, India, and Japan. The U.S. President stated he believes he had 'successful' diplomatic discussions with those leaders. John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, also noted that there is still 'time for a diplomatic solution' regarding the military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, and that the U.S. is actively working on this matter. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel had struck Hezbollah in recent days, inflicting blows that the group did not anticipate. He mentioned that just one day after the October 15 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, Hezbollah, as another 'terrorist proxy group' of the Iranian regime, began unprovoked rocket and missile attacks on Israeli cities, displacing 60,000 citizens. Regarding the recent escalation of hostilities and severe blows to Hezbollah, which is supported by the Islamic Republic, Netanyahu said, 'If [Hezbollah] did not understand the message [of these attacks], I promise they will understand it.' Netanyahu emphasized that Israel, like any other country, will not tolerate rocket attacks on its cities, stating, 'We will take any action necessary to restore security and return our citizens safely to their homes.' Hours before Netanyahu's remarks, Hezbollah claimed on its Telegram channel that it had launched missiles at an Israeli military industrial complex in the northern city of Haifa in response to the explosion of pagers and wireless devices. According to the Times of Israel, Hezbollah fired at least 10 missiles toward northern Israeli cities in the Jezreel Valley late Saturday, marking the group's deepest missile attack into Israel since the war began last October. Simultaneously, the Israeli Air Force conducted several strikes in southern Lebanon. Israel stated that it had eliminated most of Hezbollah's leadership and commanders of its elite 'Radwan' unit tasked with attacking Israel. The President of Israel remarked that Hezbollah is armed to the teeth by the Iranian 'Empire of Evil.' The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have arrested 12 'collaborators' of Israel in Iran. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu is considering a plan to besiege Hamas in northern Gaza. Netanyahu reiterated, 'We have struck Hezbollah in ways they did not expect.' Hezbollah claimed to have bombarded northern Israel, while the army stated that all rockets were intercepted.