The United State Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced on Wednesday that “now is the time” to end the conflict in Gaza, urging Israel to avoid further escalation with Iran.
This development follows, the fight between Israel and the Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel also pledged to hit back against Iran’s October 1 missile strike.
Meanwhile In Lebanon, the state media reported an Israeli drone strike on Tyre, after the military warned residents of parts of the coastal city to flee ahead of operations targeting Hezbollah.
The warning triggered a fresh wave of departures from the formerly lively city on the Mediterranean coast, while AFPTV footage captured a large plume of thick black smoke rising from the area following the strike.
Speaking on the strike, the head of disaster management unit in Tyre, Mortada Mhanna said: “The situation is very bad, we’re evacuating people.”
While Bilal Kashmar, the unit’s media officer said: “You could say that the entire city of Tyre is being evacuated.
Blinken’s trip to the region marks his 11th visit since the onset of the Gaza war and his first since the Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalated into all-out war late last month.
The Gaza war started with Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,206 deaths, mostly among civilians, as reported by an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
According to reports and figures from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which the UN regards as reliable, Israel's retaliatory offensive has resulted in 42,718 deaths in Gaza, primarily among civilians, according to figures
“Since October 7 a year ago, Israel has achieved most of its strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza… Now is the time to turn those successes into enduring, strategic success,” Blinken said.
While on aid to Gaza, Blinken mentioned that he observed: “progress being made, which is good, but more progress needs to be made and, most critically, it needs to be sustained”.
Regarding Israel's pledge to retaliate for Iran's October 1 missile attack, the U.S. Secretary of State stated: “It’s also very important that Israel respond in ways that do not create greater escalation.”
Following his visit to Israel, Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, which has paused discussions on a normalization deal with Israel until a Palestinian state is established.
Furthermore, the U.S. diplomat encouraged Israel to take advantage of what he called an "incredible opportunity" to pursue a deal with Saudi Arabia.
Past U.S. attempts to end the Gaza war and manage regional fallout have failed, including an initiative led by President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron to establish a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon.
During his meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday, Blinken encouraged his ally to take advantage of the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza to seek a ceasefire.
Sinwar was reportedly the mastermind behind the October 7, 2023, attack that ignited the Gaza war.
Lauding the killing, Netanyahu remarked that it did not mean the war was over, but he noted it could be the beginning of the end.
