Blinken: Israel has ‘real and legitimate problem’ with Hezbollah, but it should be solved with diplomacy

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that while Israel has a “real and legitimate problem” with the Hezbollah terror organization, the issue needs to be solved through diplomacy rather than war.

“Israel has a real and legitimate problem,” Blinken tells NBC. “After the horrific events of October 7 by Hamas in Israel’s south, Hezbollah from Lebanon joined in and started firing rockets at Israel.

“People who lived in northern Israel had to evacuate their homes. Villages were destroyed, homes were destroyed and 70,000 Israelis were forced from their homes, and Israel started firing back,” he tells the “Today” show.

“There was a tit for tat going back and forth, people in southern Lebanon had to leave their homes too,” he says. “And what everyone wants is a secure environment in which people can simply return to their homes, kids can go back to school. That’s what Israel is after.”

“The best way to get that is not through war, not through escalation. It would be through a diplomatic agreement. While there is a very legitimate issue here, we don’t think war is the solution,” he says.

Blinken says the US is working with international partners at the UN General Assembly on a plan to deescalate the situation.

“If there were to be a full-scale war, that’s not going to solve the problem,” he says. “We support solving the problem through diplomacy, not through war.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to @SavannahGuthrie live on TODAY about the crisis in the Middle East and where the United States stands: “While there’s a very legitimate issue here, we don’t think that war is the solution.” pic.twitter.com/db3FQlgL5G

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 25, 2024