Biden says he'll speak with Netanyahu soon amid fears of a wider war

President Biden said on Sunday that he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he thinks a broader war in the region “has to be” avoided.

“It has to be,” Biden said, when asked whether an all-out war in the region could be avoided.

“We really have to avoid it,” Biden told reporters, before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington.

Biden did not say specifically when he plans to speak with Netanyahu.

The remarks come amid escalating tensions in the region. Israel launched a series of airstrikes that have wiped out much of the Iran-backed Hezbollah’s command structure, including the decades-long chief Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah confirmed this weekend Nasrallah and other top officials were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The Biden administration celebrated the Israeli airstrike that killed Nasrallah, calling his death a “measure of justice.”

“Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror,” Biden wrote in a statement Saturday. “His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”

Biden reiterated U.S. support for “Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.”

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby said on Sunday that Israel’s airstrikes targeting Hezbollah leadership were “good for the world.” He also stressed the importance of preventing a regional war.

“I think having decimated the command structure of Hezbollah certainly works to the Israeli’s advantage,” Kirby said. “It’s actually good for the region, good for the world.”

Biden said Saturday that the ultimate goal is to “de-escalate” fighting in Lebanon and Gaza through diplomatic means.

“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 wrote.