President Bush said Saturday that Israel has the right to defend itself from Hezbollah attacks, as bombing in the Middle East continued for an 11th day.
“The recent crisis in the region was triggered by the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by the terrorist group Hezbollah and the launch of rockets against Israeli cities,” Bush said in his weekly radio address. “I believe sovereign nations have the right to defend their people from terrorist attack and to take the necessary action to prevent those attacks.”
Bush is dispatching Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East today, where she is slated to meet with Palestinian and Israeli officials, followed by a conference with representatives from other nations in Rome.
“Secretary Rice will make it clear that resolving the crisis demands confronting the terrorist group that launched the attacks and the nations that support it,” said Bush, who is spending the weekend at his home in Crawford, Texas.
Bush said Syria “has been a primary sponsor of Hezbollah” and “has helped provide Hezbollah with shipments of Iranian-made weapons.”
Bush called on Israel to use restraint and attempt to protect innocent people in the region.
