War in Gaza: Blinken urges Israel to avoid escalation in Lebanon

Renewed demand. On Monday, Antony Blinken urged Israel to avoid escalating the conflict in Lebanon during a meeting with the Jewish state’s defense minister. The US secretary of state “emphasized the importance of preventing further escalation of the conflict and reaching a diplomatic solution that allows Israeli and Lebanese families to return home,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a press release. publish a report about a meeting with Yoav Gallant, who was in Washington.

The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked a military escalation on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, raising fears of a wider conflict. Skirmishes between the Israeli army and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a powerful Islamist movement allied with Hamas and armed and financed by Iran, have displaced tens of thousands of residents in border areas of southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

The head of US diplomacy also “insisted” that Israel do more to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip and spoke of “diplomatic efforts to ensure security, governance and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip” after the end of the conflict. according to the text.

Yoav Gallant made no further comment after leaving a more than two-hour meeting with Antony Blinken while several dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in front of the State Department chanted “war criminal.” But in remarks before the meetings, Israel’s defense minister vowed to do everything to return the hostages from the Gaza Strip and called for close cooperation with the United States after tensions in recent weeks.

Tensions between Israel and Washington

Yoav Gallant also met with CIA chief Bill Burns, the main American in charge of negotiations aimed at achieving a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas. “I would like to emphasize that Israel’s primary obligation is to return the hostages, without exception, to their families and homes,” the Israeli defense minister said. “We will continue to make every effort to bring them home,” he added.

“The alliance between Israel and the United States (…) is extremely important,” Yoav Gallant said, adding that ties with Washington “are the most important element for our security future.” Israel’s defense minister also plans to meet with officials at the White House and speak with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Tuesday.

Yoav Gallant’s visit to Washington comes after a week of tension between Israel and Washington over arms supplies amid a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the “intensive” phase of fighting was “close to ending” in Rafah, in the south of the besieged area.

Yoav Gallant’s comments also come amid regular demonstrations in Tel Aviv against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which is demanding early elections. Tens of thousands of Israelis have protested in recent weeks against the conduct of the war in Gaza and the prime minister’s failure to negotiate the release of hostages.

Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to give a speech to the US Congress in July, told a cabinet meeting on Sunday that there was a “drastic reduction in the supply” of US weapons about four years ago. “I don’t understand the meaning of this comment at all,” a State Department spokesman responded on Monday, recalling that Washington had suspended the supply of the only weapons.