Harris says Israel has 'right to defend itself' against Hezbollah

US Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic election nominee, said Tuesday that Israel had a "right to defend itself" following a strike in Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut.

Harris -- who last week struck a tough tone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's war on Gaza -- also called for a diplomatic solution to reduce the risk of all-out conflict on the Lebanon-Israel border.

"I want to address what's happened over the last few hours in terms of the Middle East and be very clear Israel has a right to defend itself," Harris told reporters as she headed to an election rally in Atlanta, Georgia.

"What we know in particular is it (Israel) has the right to defend itself against a terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is," added Harris.

"But all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks, and we will continue to do that work."

AFP