U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday renewed his call for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah after Israel disregarded a ceasefire proposal co-authored by the United States and France.
During a press conference concluding a week of diplomatic meetings at the United Nations, Blinken stated, “The choices that both sides make in the coming days will determine the path this region takes, with serious consequences for its people, both now and potentially for years to come.”
He added, “The diplomatic path may seem difficult at this moment, but it exists, and in our view, it is necessary.” Blinken pledged that the United States would “continue to work intensively with all parties” to achieve a ceasefire.
The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized, “The most important step through diplomacy is to try to halt the exchange of fire in both directions first, and then use the time afforded by such a truce to explore the possibility of reaching a broader diplomatic agreement.”
Blinken also issued a warning regarding American interests, stating, “The United States will take all necessary actions against any party that exploits the situation to target American personnel and interests in the region.”
The United States and France had jointly proposed a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah on Wednesday. However, Israel, heavily reliant on American weaponry, ignored the call and vowed to crush Hezbollah. On Friday, Israel bombed a densely populated area in Beirut’s southern suburbs and later called on residents to evacuate some neighborhoods that came under heavy bombardment early Saturday morning.
While Blinken reiterated “Israel’s right to defend itself,” he maintained that diplomacy remains the best solution.
