President Biden announced Tuesday that Israel has reached a cease-fire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorists, ending nearly 14 months of fighting. Some U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle praise efforts to end the conflict, while others suggest it is unwarranted. It's nothing more than a political football.
Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Biden said Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a deal, adding that Israel would retain the right to defend itself if Hezbollah broke the deal.
“Let me be clear: Israel did not start this war. The Lebanese people did not ask for it. Neither did the United States,” Biden said. “The security of the Israeli and Lebanese people cannot only be achieved on the battlefield. That is why I am directing my team to work with the Israeli and Lebanese governments to reach a ceasefire and resolve the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. “I did.” It's close. ”
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, asked about the possibility of a cease-fire agreement at a news conference Tuesday, said the Pentagon (Department of Defense) is “very supportive” of a cease-fire. He also said the Department of Defense plays an important role in working with partners in the Middle East region to prevent conflict from escalating.
Biden announces ceasefire plan between Israel and Hezbollah, ending 14 months of fighting
Israeli demonstrators call for a ceasefire and political solution with Hezbollah near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Jerusalem. (Faiz Abu Rmeleh/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, called the agreement “a welcome development for the region.”
“This agreement, which ends the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon that has killed thousands of people, is a welcome development for the region and urges Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement to end fighting and destruction in the Gaza Strip. The pressure must be increased. Too many innocent lives have already been taken,” Warner said. “I commend the months of diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration and other international partners that helped reach this point.”
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Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, said Tuesday's ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah was a “welcome development for the region.” (Reuters)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) also commented on the deal, saying he was happy to hear that an agreement had been reached between Israel and Hezbollah.
“Well done to everyone involved in reaching this agreement,” he said. “We appreciate the hard work of the Biden Administration, with support from President Trump, to make this ceasefire a reality. This ceasefire will once again protect Israel from October 7th and give the Lebanese people a respite from fighting. ”
“My hope is that a ceasefire in Gaza will be achieved soon, allowing for a peaceful solution to replace the endless conflict,” he added.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.) said he was pleased to hear that a ceasefire agreement had been reached between Israel and Hezbollah on Tuesday. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) did not immediately praise the Biden administration's efforts toward a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
He said Israel's allies had achieved significant military successes against Hezbollah over the past year, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Hezbollah terrorists and eliminating the Iranian-backed terrorist organization's entire command. said.
“These actions directly served vital U.S. national security interests, including directly liquidating a terrorist leader who shed the blood of hundreds of Americans,” Cruz said. “Indeed, the U.S.-Israel relationship is core to U.S. interests in the Middle East, and U.S. policy should be to provide military and diplomatic support to Israel’s allies and ensure their full security. be.”
Next, we looked at the Biden administration's tactics and timing as President-elect Trump returns to the White House.
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused President Obama and President Biden officials of withholding weapons from Israel to pressure Israel to reach a cease-fire agreement. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
“For the past four years, the Biden administration has been pathologically obsessed with weakening Israel and boosting Iran, including by forcing Israel's allies to cede maritime territory to Hezbollah,” Cruz said. “They are now using the transition period with the Trump administration and Republican Congress to try to corral these efforts and rein in the incoming administration by establishing what they believe are irreversible foreign, legal, and military policies. However, these policies, and similar international policies, are not irreversible.
Cruz and 10 other senators say the United States will reevaluate its relationship with the United Nations and the Palestinians if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas fulfills his promise to secure Israel's expulsion from the United Nations General Assembly. signed the letter.
Mr. Cruz also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, pledging his colleagues to take action against the International Criminal Court for undermining U.S. and Israeli interests. He said everyone involved in the decision should face U.S. sanctions. .
The International Criminal Court last week issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo by Mark Kerrison/Getty Images)
He also accused Obama and Biden officials of pressuring Israel's allies to accept a ceasefire by withholding the weapons they need to defend themselves against Hezbollah, while simultaneously imposing binding international arms control through the United Nations. threatened to promote an embargo.
“Obama-Biden officials are already planning to use Israel's acceptance of this cease-fire to ensure that Hezbollah and other Iranian terrorist groups remain intact throughout Lebanon, and to guide Israel's future actions and self-defense.” “It's trying to restrict the freedom of people,” Cruz said. “Administration officials, including Secretary of State Blinken, today even downplayed Israel's right under the ceasefire to attack terrorist groups in Lebanon if they posed an imminent threat.
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“These constraints have been rejected by Israel's allies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that under the ceasefire, Israel would take full action against Hezbollah if it attacks Israel or attempts to rebuild terrorist infrastructure. He said he retains his freedom.” “The United States should allow and support Israel to do so, and I will work closely with the Trump administration and my colleagues in the next Congress to ensure that we can do that.”
Fox News Digital's Luis Casiano contributed to this report.
