WASHINGTON, Sept 26 (Askume) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel on Thursday that further escalation of the conflict in Lebanon would make it more difficult for civilians on both sides of the border to return home.
Israel on Thursday rejected global calls for a ceasefire with the Hezbollah movement , ignoring its biggest ally in Washington and carrying out repeated attacks that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and raised fears of a wider regional war.
Despite Israel’s stance, the United States and France on Wednesday sought to keep the prospect of a proposed 21-day ceasefire alive and said negotiations would continue, including on the sidelines of a UN meeting in New York.
“The secretaries discussed the importance of reaching an agreement on a 21-day ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border,” the State Department said in a statement, referring to the conversation between Blinken and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Demmer.
He stressed that further escalation of the conflict would make the return of civilians even more difficult.
The State Department said Blinken also discussed ceasefire efforts in Gaza and steps Israel is taking to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid in the territory, where some 2.3 million people are displaced and hunger is at risk.
US President Biden proposed a three-phase ceasefire in Gaza on 31 May , but the agreement faced obstacles, primarily Israel’s demand to maintain the Philadelphia Corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt .
Washington has faced global and domestic criticism for supporting Israel amid the escalating conflict in Lebanon .
Critics say Washington has not used its aid to pressure Israel to accept calls for a ceasefire . Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict began on October 7, when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Subsequent Israeli military attacks on Gaza have killed more than 41,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials.
