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US political leaders rally behind Israel after Nasrallah killing

US political leaders rally behind Israel after Nasrallah killing

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris express support despite threat of regional war. Political leaders in the United States have rallied behind Israel after massive Israeli air strikes in Beirut levelled residential buildings and killed the powerful Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris – both Democrats – and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson have expressed support for the Friday attack, despite what is expected to be a substantial civilian death toll. Former Republican President Donald Trump does not appear to have commented yet on the killing of Nasrallah. “Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror,” Biden said in a news release on Saturday. “His death from an Israeli air strike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.” The Biden administration has called for a lowering of tensions in the region, but shown little interest in using leverage such as the suspension of weapons sales to restrain Israel following a series of increasingly escalatory attacks in Lebanon in recent weeks. Israel has waved aside calls for a diplomatic agreement and pledged to press forward with continued strikes. “President Biden and I do not want to see conflict in the Middle East escalate into a broader regional war,” Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the Democratic candidate for president, said in a statement on Saturday. “Diplomacy remains the best path forward to protect civilians and achieve lasting stability in the region.” Israeli attacks inside Lebanon have killed at least 1,030 people since September 16, including 56 women and 87 children. A final death toll from the massive Israeli strikes that killed Nasrallah and destroyed several large residential buildings on Friday is not yet known, as rescue workers try to find bodies in the rubble. The killing of Nasrallah, which follows the killing of a series of senior Hezbollah officials by Israel in recent weeks, is a body blow to the Lebanese group and a network of Iran-backed groups across the region. It remains unclear what response the group and its allies in the region, such as Iran-backed militias in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen, will pursue. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant that the US “remains postured to protect US forces and facilities in the region and committed to the defence of Israel” in a phone call on Friday. The Biden administration has been criticised by activists and analysts who say that his unconditional support for Israel has resulted in a trend of perpetual escalation and Israeli attacks that include large civilian death tolls and violations of international law. While Trump has yet to comment on the killing of Nasrallah, conservative lawmakers have rejected the Biden administration’s call for a ceasefire and urged stronger support for Israel’s campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza. “We call on the Biden-Harris Administration to end its counter-productive calls for a cease-fire and its ongoing diplomatic pressure campaign against Israel,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement on Saturday. Adblock test (Why?)

Is the killing of Hassan Nasrallah a game changer?

Is the killing of Hassan Nasrallah a game changer?

Assassination of Hezbollah head is the culmination of a series of major Israeli attacks on the group’s leaders. He led Hezbollah for more than three decades and made it into a military and political force to be reckoned with in the longrunning conflict in the Middle East. Hassan Nasrallah’s killing in a massive Israeli air attack in a southern suburb of Beirut is sure to open a new page in the war. Israel is on high alert and says it is prepared for all options after it announced his death. But will Hezbollah respond – and if so, how? And how will the latest development shape the future of the armed group and its role in the region? Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra Guests Nicholas Noe – Editor-in-chief of Beirut-based Mideastwire.com Stephen Zunes – Professor of politics and founding chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco Gideon Levy – Columnist with the Haaretz Newspaper and author of the book, The Punishment of Gaza Adblock test (Why?)

‘He was like a father to us’: Hezbollah supporters mourn Hassan Nasrallah

‘He was like a father to us’: Hezbollah supporters mourn Hassan Nasrallah

Beirut, Lebanon – On Friday evening, Mariam* was in her apartment with her teenage daughter and mother when her building began rumbling and shaking. Agonising screams and the buzzing of Israeli warplanes soon followed. Israel had just launched a major air attack that killed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as an unknown number of civilians in Dahiyeh, the southern suburb of Lebanon’s capital Beirut. Shortly after the strike, Israel called on thousands of civilians to “evacuate” from Dahiyeh, claiming they were living near Hezbollah operation centres. Mariam quickly packed a few bags of clothes and fled to downtown Beirut, where she is now sleeping on the steps of a mosque with hundreds of other people displaced from her community. But while Israel has upended her life, she said that nothing compared to the anguish of losing Nasrallah. “When I first heard the news, I thought it was a lie. I thought, ‘It can’t be true’,” she told Al Jazeera, holding back her tears. “Nasrallah was our brother and we always felt safe with him. Now, we don’t know what will be our fate.” A tent installed by the scouts on Beirut’s Ramlet el-Bayda beach hosts people displaced by Israeli air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs [Philippe Pernot/Al Jazeera] A brother, a father Nasrallah became Hezbollah’s leader after Israel assassinated his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, in 1992. Al-Musawi, his wife and five-year-old son were killed by an air strike on their home. Once Nasrallah took over, he quickly began expanding Hezbollah from a rebel movement to one of the most powerful armed groups in the world as well as a formidable bulwark against Israeli aggression. Under his stewardship, Hezbollah liberated south Lebanon from Israel’s 18-year occupation, lending him the status of a hero throughout the region. His charisma and shrewdness made him one of the most respected  – and feared – leaders in the Middle East. He then became a polarising figure – in Lebanon and the region –  after Hezbollah intervened in Syria’s civil war to rescue President Bashar al-Assad from a pro-democracy uprising that quickly turned into an armed conflict after al-Assad’s forces turned their guns on protesters, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Throughout the war,  the Syrian government and Hezbollah committed atrocities, according to news reports and rights groups. These reports damaged Nasrallah’s popularity across the region but his most fervent supporters stood by him out of fear that nobody else would be able or willing to protect Lebanon from Israel. Many Lebanese Shia Muslims are now mourning a man they call a “brother” and even a “father” to their people. In downtown Beirut, displaced families from Dahiyeh described Nasrallah as a “martyr” who gave his life to stand up to Israel. “I just want to listen to his voice again. He was like a father to us. He wasn’t just a politician,” said Nivine, a Hezbollah supporter and Dahiyeh resident who has been uprooted by the strikes. “But we will continue on [Nasrallah’s path]. We will continue to fight to bring down Israel, which was always his wish,” she told Al Jazeera. Nivine, who has fled Israeli air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, distributes Lebanese manakish to other displaced people at Beirut’s central Al-Amin Mosque [Philippe Pernot/Al Jazeera] Lack of protection? With Nasrallah gone and Hezbollah reeling from losing scores of senior commanders in recent days, many Lebanese Shia Muslims fear they have nobody to protect them. “Don’t you see all the crimes of Israel? They are bombing and destroying everything, killing women and children. And no Arabic or Western country is intervening to stop it,” Nivine said. But Nivine, like other residents from Dahiyeh, believes that Hezbollah will ultimately survive the recent blows from Israel. Hassan, 25, spoke matter-of-factly about Nasrallah and the “resistance” – a term commonly referring to Hezbollah and other Iran-aligned armed groups that oppose Israel and the US role in the region. “We will continue and the movement will continue. People will be martyred, but [the resistance] will continue,” he told Al Jazeera. Hassan added that he was particularly upset about Nasrallah’s death because he was such a major symbol of defiance. In his view, Nasrallah was the only world leader to help Palestinians in Gaza by opening a “support front” against Israel from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has said that its aim is to relieve pressure on Hamas, which is fighting for its survival after launching an attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,139 people. Israel responded by attacking Gaza and killing more than 40,000 people since October. Nasrallah’s decision to support Hamas cost him his life. “He stood up for Gaza,” Hassan said with resignation on the steps of a mosque. “I know he died. But he’s in a better place now than the one we are all living in.” Children play on their family’s luggage in Beirut’s central Al-Amin mosque, where they found refuge from Israeli air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs [Philippe Pernot/Al Jazeera] Uncertain future Mohamad, a Syrian national who has been living in Lebanon since 2009, said that he fled from south Lebanon to Dahiyeh after Israel and Hezbollah began to exchange fire on October 8, 2023. He said the bustling neighbourhood welcomed him, his daughter and his wife to the community soon after they arrived. He, too, is mourning Nasrallah. ‘I was in shock when I heard the news. We will remember him as the one that stood up to the Zionists and went to war with Israel,” he told Al Jazeera. “But now that he’s gone, there is fear and uncertainty. We don’t know what will happen. Will there be more bombing now across Beirut? Will the situation get worse? Or will it stop? Nobody knows.” Mariam, who fled with her mother and daughter, expressed the same ambivalence about her life and the fate of Lebanon. Everything dear to her has been torn apart due to Israel’s relentless bombing of Dahiyeh in the last 24 hours, she said.

DOJ sues Alabama, state’s top election official for allegedly purging noncitizen voters too close to election

DOJ sues Alabama, state’s top election official for allegedly purging noncitizen voters too close to election

The Department of Justice sued the State of Alabama and its top election official, alleging that they had removed voters who had previously been issued noncitizen identification numbers from its election rolls too close to election day. Noncitizen identification numbers are a tax-processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to ensure that people—including undocumented immigrants—pay taxes. Along with paying taxes, noncitizen identification numbers can provide legal migrants with securing a driver’s license and providing proof of residency. After being sworn into office in January, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen got to work to identify and remove 3,251 individuals who are registered to vote in Alabama who have been issued noncitizen identification numbers by the Department of Homeland Security. “I have been clear that I will not tolerate the participation of noncitizens in our elections,” Allen previously said in a release. “I have even gone so far as to testify before a United States Senate Committee regarding the importance of this issue. We have examined the current voter file in an attempt to identify anyone who appears on that list that has been issued a noncitizen identification number.”   ALABAMA ELECTION OFFICIALS SAYS BIDEN EXECUTIVE ORDER GIVES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ‘MECHANISM’ TO REGISTER TO VOTE Now, the DOJ is pushing back and has filed a lawsuit against Alabama and Allen. The agency argued that Allen violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), which requires states to complete any changes to the voter registration lists no later than 90 days before federal elections. Allen implemented the changes 84 days before, the DOJ alleged. “The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in our democracy,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement. “As Election Day approaches, it is critical that Alabama redress voter confusion resulting from its list maintenance mailings sent in violation of federal law. ALABAMA SECRETARY OF STATE ALLEN ANNOUNCES WITHDRAWAL FROM VOTER REGISTRATION GROUP The DOJ also alleged that Allen’s removal of voter registration also impacted natural-born citizens who were incorrectly identified as potential noncitizens. The Justice Department seeks injunctive relief that “would restore the ability of impacted eligible voters to vote unimpeded on Election Day,” the department said in a statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The department also seeks remedial mailings to educate eligible voters concerning the restoration of their rights and adequate training of local officials and poll workers to address confusion and distrust among eligible voters accused of being noncitizens,” the agency said. Fox News Digital has reached out to Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen for comment.

Vance not allowed to campaign in Pittsburgh culinary landmark — despite Harris event at same restaurant chain

Vance not allowed to campaign in Pittsburgh culinary landmark — despite Harris event at same restaurant chain

Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance missed out on a Pittsburgh culinary landmark after he was apparently kicked out from meeting with supporters inside — despite the same restaurant chain allowing the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz campaign to meet its supporters there. A source familiar with the campaign told Fox News Digital that when the vice presidential campaign stopped by Primanti Bros. Restaurant and Bar in North Versailles, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, their planned visit to excited supporters was cut short when they were promptly kicked out by employees. The source noted that Primanti Bros. management was aware that the Trump-Vance campaign was planning on stopping by. An employee told the campaign that this was “not a campaign stop” and that “JD’s not allowed in,” the source said, adding that the manager threatened to call the police if they didn’t leave. Trump-Vance supporters shot back, booing the employees as they were ushered to the exit, the source said. PITTSBURGH DINERS FUME OVER ‘STAGED’ HARRIS CAMPAIGN STOP AS POPULAR RESTAURANT CLEARED: ‘MIND-BOGGLING’ The Trump campaign’s frosty reception at the restaurant chain contrasts how the Harris-Walz campaign was treated just a month earlier when they visited a Primanti Bros. location in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Harris’ campaign made a stop at the Primanti Bros. location on Aug. 18 – much to the chagrin of locals, who were kicked out of the restaurant. “I wanted to watch some sports and enjoy an afternoon lunch,” Mark Dodson previously told Fox News Digital. “Around 3:30, the bartender, she goes, ‘It’s last call’ – what do you mean last call?” Employees informed the Pennsylvania native that the restaurant was closing early for a private event. FOX NEWS TO SIMULCAST THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE The private event was the arrival of the Harris campaign’s entourage, with videos from inside the event showing Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff greeting patrons. Outside, kicked-out patrons and Trump supporters protested the event. Others verbally accused the campaign of employing “actors” – as video captured by ABC News of Harris’ visit itself depicted a full dining room with people enjoying their food. “Holy hell, all these actors in these vans,” a man was heard shouting among the anti-Harris demonstrators. Despite the Vance campaign being kicked out of the local establishment on Saturday, the campaign met with supporters outside the restaurant. Photos from the impromptu outside event showed Vance greeting excited patrons. WHAT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS SHOW IN THE 2024 ELECTION Before leaving, Vance addressed the crowd of supporters that had gathered outside the establishment. “We paid for everybody’s food, we gave them a nice tip and, of course, when I gave a nice tip, I said no taxes on tips,” Vance said, referring to a Trump proposal.  “It’s all right, don’t hold it against [the worker],” he said. “She just got a little nervous, but it’s a great local business. Let’s keep on supporting it.” WATCH: Exclusive video obtained by Fox News Digital showed Vance talking with Primanti Bros employees following the run-in. “I don’t think they paid for their food, so we’ll cover it,” Vance is heard telling an employee. “I appreciate that, thank you,” the employee is heard saying. “And keep the change,” Vance said. “I’m sure there’s going to be a fair amount in there. And, ya know, no taxes on tips. That’s one of things that we’re trying to hammer.” “Yes, we’re rooting for that!” the employee is heard saying. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to Primanti Bros.’ main office in Pittsburgh, and was directed to a representative’s email address. That representative did not immediately respond. Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.