Today, October 22, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel. The U.S. is hoping to revive efforts for a cease-fire after the liquidation of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but so far all warring parties appear to be digging in.
This is reported by the Associated Press.
So, Blinken is said to have arrived hours after Hezbollah fired a barrage of missiles into central Israel. The air alert signal sounded in the most populated areas of the country and at the international airport. No visible damage or injuries were reported.
The Israeli military said it intercepted most of the five shells, one of which landed in an open area. Around the same time, another 15 shells were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel.
The US Department of State said ahead of the visit, that Blinken would focus on ending the war in Gaza, freeing hostages held by Hamas and easing the suffering of Palestinian civilians.
The Department of State’s spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken would emphasize the need for a sharp increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, about what Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made clear in a letter to Israeli officials last week.
The letter reminded Israel that the Biden administration could be forced under US law to limit some forms of military aid if the delivery of humanitarian aid continues to be hampered.
Blinken's previous trips are said to have done little to end the fighting, but he has succeeded in increasing aid flows to Gaza in the past.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on October 20, Israeli fighter jets struck the command center belonging to the Hezbollah intelligence unit and an underground weapons manufacturing plant in Beirut.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.