U.S. lawmakers reacted Tuesday to the ceasefire deal reached between Israel and Hezbollah, with one suggesting the deal is nothing but a political football.
President Biden announced Tuesday that Israel has reached a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon that would end nearly 14 months of fighting, and while some U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle congratulated efforts to reach a stop to the conflict, others suggest this is nothing but a political football.
While speaking from the White House Rose Garden, Biden said Israel and Lebanon agreed to the deal, adding that Israel retains the right to defend itself should Hezbollah break the pact.
« Let’s be clear. Israel did not launch this war. The Lebanese people did not seek that war either. Nor did the United States », Biden said. « Security for the people of Israel and Lebanon cannot be achieved only on the battlefield. And that’s why I directed my team to work with the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to forge a cease-fire, to bring a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to a close. »
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder was asked about a potential cease-fire deal during a press briefing on Tuesday and said the Department of Defense (DoD) was « very supportive » of the ceasefire. He also said the DoD plays an important role in working with partners in the Middle East region to prevent a wider conflict.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who serves as the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence called the agreement « a welcome development for the region. »
« This agreement to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has killed thousands of people, is a welcome development for the region and should increase pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement to end the fighting and destruction in the Gaza Strip, which has already claimed so many innocent lives », Warner said. « I applaud diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration and other international partners over many months in helping to reach this point.
