'Full-scale war not in anyone's interest, diplomatic solution possible': Biden on West Asia crisis in final address to UN

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday said that a full-scale war is not in “anyone’s interest” referring to the worsening situation in West Asia.

During his final speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as the US President, Biden said, “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest. Even if the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible. In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes and the border safely. And that’s … what we’re working tirelessly to achieve.”

Since last week, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in a conflict that was triggered by back-to-back attacks on the terrorist group members in which their pagers and walkie-talkies were detonated, leading to a number of deaths.

Following this, Israel also launched a barrage of airstrikes in Lebanon leaving hundreds dead including top commanders of Hezbollah. In retaliation, Hezbollah has also begun attacking Israel.

“Since October 7, we’ve also been determined to prevent a wider war than engulfs the entire region. Hezbollah, unprovoked during the October 7 attack, launching rockets in Israel almost a year later, too many on each side of the Israeli-Lebanon border remain displaced,” the US president said.

‘They’re going through hell’

On the Israel-Hamas war, although Biden said that Israel has a right to defend itself, he called for a de-escalation of conflict.

“Any country, any country, would have the right responsibility to ensure that such an attack could never happen again,” he said referring to the October 7 Hamas attack.

He said families of hostages under Hamas’ captivity in Gaza are “going through hell”. Biden added, “Innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell. Thousands and thousands killed, including aid workers. Too many families dislocated, crowded in a tent, facing a dire situation. They didn’t ask for this war.”

Biden expressed his commitment to preventing a broader conflict that could involve the entire region and urged both Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire proposal put forth by the United States in May.