President Joe Biden addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the final time on Tuesday as the conflict in the Middle East grows.
His farewell address touched on a lot of global conflicts, reaffirming the United States' support for Ukraine and calling for an end to the suffering in Gaza.
“I’ve met with the families of those hostages. I’ve grieved with them. They’re going through hell,” President Biden said in his address. “Innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell, thousands and thousands killed, including aid workers. Too many families dislocated, crowding in the tents, facing a dire humanitarian situation."
President Biden encouraged world leaders to put people before power stating, "Some things are more important than staying in power."
This comes as Israel has launched an attack on Lebanon targeting Hezbollah militants. Lebanese officials said Israel's air attacks have killed 558 people, including some civilians, according to The Associated Press. The attack on Lebanon on Monday was considered the deadliest day in Lebanon since 2006.
"Full-scale war is not in anyone's interest," President Biden said during the address. "Even as the situation has escalated a diplomatic solution is still possible."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hezbollah has been using civilians as human shields as it seeks to diminish threats from the group.
The conflict has drawn considerable interest from the Biden administration. In response to the escalation, the U.S. is preparing to send 40,000 troops to the region.
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The conflict in Lebanon also comes as the U.S. and others have urged Israel to enter into a cease-fire with Hamas nearly a full year after Hamas attacked Israel, killing hundreds. Israel's response to the attack forced residents to flee from their homes, causing a significant humanitarian crisis.
"I'll tell you, since the very beginning of this conflict, we have taken a hard look at our posture in the region, our military posture in the region. We want to make sure that it's properly balanced and capable for a range of contingencies," White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told Morning Rush.
With Israel now involved in conflicts with both Hamas and Hezbollah, the U.S. is urging Israel to use diplomacy to de-escalate the conflict.
"They have a right to defend themselves. They live in a tough neighborhood," Kirby said. "Obviously, they got Hamas there to the west, but Hezbollah to the north, all supported by Iran. But what we have said to our Israeli counterparts and are continuing to say even today, we want to find a way to de-escalate these tensions. We don't believe in the United States that an all-out war up there in the north against Hezbollah is really in the best interest of the Israeli people."
"It's certainly not in the interest of really anybody in the region, but certainly not for the Israeli people. If the goal, we believe, is to get those families back to their homes in the north of Israel, back to their lives and their livelihoods and their businesses, then we think a diplomatic solution is probably the best way to do that," Kirby said.
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"When all is said and done, he really did restore American leadership on the world stage, but he did it in a collaborative, cooperative way," Kirby said. "He did it by tapping into America's trust and our credibility on the world stage and the fact that people want to work with us to solve some of the most intractable problems around the globe."
"Being president has been the honor of my life," President Biden said during the UN address. "There's so much more I want to get done."
