October 22, 2024
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday on his 11th visit to the region since the Hamas terror attacks on Israel. Washington hopes to revive cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but so far all the warring parties appear to be digging in.
Israel is still at war with Hamas more than a year after the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 attack, and with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where it launched a ground invasion earlier this month. Israel is also expected to strike Iran in response to its ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1.
Blinken landed just hours after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the country’s most populated areas and its international airport, but causing no apparent damage or injuries. His meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stretched for more than two hours on Tuesday afternoon. He is also expected to meet with President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The Israeli military said that it intercepted most of the five projectiles, with one landing in an open area. Another 15 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel at around the same time, it said.
The death toll from Israeli airstrikes late Monday that destroyed several buildings facing one of Beirut’s main hospitals climbed to 13. Lebanon's Health Ministry said that 57 others were wounded, including seven who were in critical condition.
The Israeli military said that it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating, and said that it hadn't targeted the hospital itself.
Hospitals can lose their protection under international law if they are used for military purposes.
The U.S. has also tried to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, but those efforts fell apart as tensions spiked last month with a series of Israeli strikes that killed the terrorist group’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his senior commanders.
In Lebanon, Israel has carried out waves of heavy airstrikes across southern Beirut and the country’s south and east, areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence. Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets, missiles, and drones into Israel, including some that have reached the country’s populous center.
Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 250 hostage. Around 100 of the captives are still held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel the day after the Hamas attack. Both groups are backed by Iran.
