US Cheers Hezbollah Leader’s Death, Grapples With Potential for Wider War

Supporters of the Hezbollah terrorist group listen to leader Hassan Nasrallah in a televised speech in Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 11, 2008. Ramzi Haidar/AFP/Getty Images

U.S. lawmakers and officials responded on Sept. 28 to the death of Hassan Nasrallah, longtime leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, in a targeted Israeli attack in a Beirut suburb.

Many in Washington hailed Nasrallah’s death as a significant victory against terrorism, while concerns over potential escalations in the Middle East simmered beneath the surface.

Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed Hezbollah, was killed alongside several top commanders in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27.

Israel’s military confirmed the strike, which it stated was part of a broader effort to neutralize Hezbollah’s leadership after the group joined the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, deadly rampage by Hamas terrorists through Israeli communities.

U.S. President Joe Biden praised the Israeli operation, describing Nasrallah as a figure responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror. In a statement, Biden framed the strike as part of a broader effort to bring justice to the victims of Hezbollah’s attacks, emphasizing U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself.

“Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans,” Biden said. “His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”

The president linked Nasrallah’s death to the violence that erupted on Oct. 7, 2023. He said Nasrallah’s decision to align Hezbollah with Hamas opened a “northern front” against Israel, prompting retaliation.

“The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups,” Biden said.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers from both parties voiced support for Israel’s action, characterizing Nasrallah’s death as a blow to terrorism and a win for international security.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) celebrated the Hezbollah leader’s demise as the end of a “reign of bloodshed, oppression, and terror.”

“A puppet of the Iranian regime, he was one of the most brutal terrorists on the planet, and a coward who hid behind women and children to carry out his attacks,” Johnson said in a statement on social media platform X. “Justice was delivered for Israeli victims of his heinous crimes, their families, and the United States. The world is better off without him.”

Johnson called Nasrallah’s death “a major step forward for the Middle East” while calling on the Biden administration to “end its counter-productive calls for a cease-fire.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) echoed these sentiments, comparing Nasrallah’s death to past U.S. efforts to eliminate other key terrorist figures, such as Imad Mugniyah and Qasem Soleimani. McConnell described Nasrallah as an architect of terror across the Middle East, whose elimination made Israelis, Americans, and others safer.

“Like Mugniyah and Soleimani before him, Hassan Nasrallah authored decades of terror and suffering across the Middle East,” McConnell said in a statement. “America should heed this reminder of what it means to impose costs and justice on those who wish us harm.”

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) also welcomed Nasrallah’s death, saying that the world is “safer without him.”

“He had the blood of innocent Syrians, Lebanese, Israelis, and Americans on his hands,” Frankel said in a social media post.

Despite widespread praise for the Israeli strike, concerns about potential repercussions surfaced within the U.S. government. While the Pentagon confirmed that U.S. forces were not involved in the operation, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reiterated the importance of deescalation in the region.

Austin said that while the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself, efforts must be made to prevent the conflict from spiraling further.

“You’ve heard me say a number of times, an all-out war should be avoided,” Austin said in a statement, stressing that the Pentagon was not given prior notice of the strike.

Biden said he has directed Austin to “further enhance the defense posture” of U.S. military assets in the Middle East “to deter aggression and reduce the risk of a broader regional war.”

“Ultimately, our aim is to de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means,” Biden said, noting that his administration has been pursuing a deal for a cease-fire, the release of hostages in Gaza, and a peace agreement that would “return people safely to their homes in Israel and southern Lebanon.”

“It is time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability,” he said.

The strike on Nasrallah is part of a broader Israeli military campaign targeting Hezbollah’s infrastructure in Lebanon. Before announcing Nasrallah’s death, Israel’s military stated that it had conducted other targeted strikes on Sept. 27 that killed additional senior Hezbollah commanders, including Ali Karki, the group’s Southern Front Commander, and Muhammad Ali Ismail, head of its Missile Unit.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Israel will continue its campaign against Hezbollah while calling Nasrallah’s killing an “essential condition” for Israel to achieve its war goals.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned Nasrallah’s killing as an “atrocity” and vowed revenge.