Israel’s killing of Hezbollah’s longtime leader has driven home how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set the agenda in the Middle East in recent months, with a frustrated Biden White House unable to shape events or defuse a spreading conflict in the region.
Officials in the Biden administration felt blindsided by the Israeli air strikes Friday in southern Beirut that killed Hassan Nasrallah, and other senior Hezbollah figures, current and former officials say.
Follow live updates hereThe Biden administration was so confident in the proposal's success that a senior administration official briefing reporters after its public debut suggested both parties' agreement was a foregone conclusion.
American and European officials believed they were moving closer to a possible deal, but then came the television images of a massive plume of smoke rising over southern Beirut.
President Joe Biden, Pentagon senior leaders and other senior officials across the administration were infuriated by the timing of the Israeli government operation, U.S. officials said.
Persons:
Hezbollah’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Hassan Nasrallah, Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Israel’s, Nasrallah, “, Blinken, Israel
Organizations:
Biden, General Assembly, Pentagon
Locations:
Beirut, New York, Israel, U.S, Lebanon, United States, Gaza