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Biden Aims to Deescalate Tensions After Israel Strike in Lebanon

Akayla Gardner and Riley Griffin

23 September 2024 at 1:10 pm·3-min read

(Bloomberg) -- US President Joe Biden said he would discuss efforts to calm tensions in the Middle East with visiting United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed after Israeli strikes in Lebanon raised fears that the war would broaden.

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Biden said the two leaders “will discuss our efforts to end the war in Gaza, and a number of regional issues,” during a meeting at the White House on Monday. “We’re working to deescalate in a way that allows people to return to their home safely,” he added.

The visit of MBZ, as the UAE leader is widely known, comes after Israel launched air strikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets, intensifying international concern that a wider conflict could further destabilize the region and threatening to undercut Biden’s broader efforts to broker a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Pentagon said Monday that the US is sending a “small number” of additional military personnel to the Middle East. Biden said his team was in contact with counterparts in the region.

Earlier: Israel Strikes in Lebanon Kill Hundreds as Conflict Spirals

The Israeli strikes killed 274 people on Monday and injured more than 1,000 people, including women and children, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Israeli medics said eight people were wounded in northern Israel as a result of Hezbollah’s own salvos.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran and designated as terrorist organizations by the US. Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged cross-border rocket fire almost daily since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October of last year.

But the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensified in recent days. Hezbollah and Lebanon blame Israel for blowing up thousands of pagers and walkie talkies mostly used by members of the group — an operation that killed at least 39 people, including civilians, and injured thousands.

The Biden administration has pushed for a cease-fire in Gaza, where Israel is carrying out a military operation aimed at rooting out Hamas, saying it will calm wider regional tensions. The war has divided Democrats, with progressives and Arab- and Muslim-American voters urging Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to cut off military aid to Israel.

Economic Ties

Biden on Monday spoke to deepening the “strategic partnership” between the US and UAE, citing efforts to bolster cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence and space.

Despite the regional turmoil, MBZ’s visit is largely aimed at focusing on economic ties rather than geopolitics in what is his first trip to Washington as the country’s leader.

Ahead of MBZ’s visit, a diplomatic adviser to the president said the main goal is to bring up partnerships in AI and in technology.

He is also slated to meet Harris later Monday and his visit to the US is expected to include meetings with key leaders on Capitol Hill and US business executives and comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

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