Blinken says world is 'safer without' Nasrallah

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the world is "safer" after the Israeli killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, and he urged diplomacy to ensure security between Israel and Lebanon.

"Hasan Nasrallah was a brutal terrorist, whose many victims included Americans, Israelis, civilians in Lebanon, civilians in Syria and many others as well," said Blinken in his opening remarks at Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS ministerial meeting.

"Lebanon, the region, the world are safer without him," he said.

Top US diplomat said Washington will continue to work with its partners in the region and around the world to advance a "diplomatic resolution that provides real security in Lebanon, and allow citizens on both sides of order to return to their homes."

He noted that the US will also continue working to secure a cease-fire and hostage swap deal in Gaza, which, he said, "preserves the possibility of a more lasting, secure peace for the entire region."

"Diplomacy remains the best and only path to achieving greater stability in the Middle East. The United States remains committed to urgently driving these efforts forward," he added.​​​​​​​

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburb of Beirut on Friday.

Since Sept. 23, Israel has launched massive airstrikes against what it calls Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, killing more than 960 people and injuring over 2,770 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.