US had no idea about Beirut attack: Biden

Washington, Sep 28  According to US President Joe Biden, he had no idea about the Israeli attack on Beirut. He said he was waiting for more information before commenting on Israeli airstrikes in Beirut. He also reiterated that the US was not involved in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation.

“We are still gathering information, I can tell you – the US had no idea about the IDF action or any involvement in it. We are gathering more information. When we have more information, I will be able to say more,” Biden told reporters in Delaware.

CNN quoted a US official on Friday as saying that Israel had informed the US after the operation began and the planes took off.

“We had no prior information about it and no one had informed us beforehand,” the official said.

An Israeli official told CNN that the information was sent “shortly before” the attack, and that the US had played no role in the operation.

When Biden was asked if the attacks targeting Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah could be justified (according to CNN report), the US President declined to comment.

“We have to gather more information,” he replied. “I am not in a position to answer that question.” He said he was “always concerned” about the rising tensions in the region due to the conflict.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said on Friday that the US was still trying to gather more information about the Israeli attacks in Beirut.

He said, “We are still gathering information, we are trying to know what the intention was – and until we have that information, we cannot react to it.

The top US diplomat once again stressed the need for a diplomatic solution to the tension in the region.

Blinken said in a news conference that Israel has the right to defend itself and try to bring back hostage civilians safely but, “the way it is doing it matters”.

He warned that not pursuing diplomacy would lead to “more conflict, more violence, more suffering and more instability and insecurity, which will have an impact around the world”.

The top US diplomat claimed that the path to diplomacy still exists, although “it may seem difficult to see at this point”.

Blinken’s statement comes days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed no interest in the US ceasefire proposal.