Israel and Hezbollah swap strikes as US secretary of state launches long-shot ceasefire plan.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has landed in Israel in a bid to revive ceasefire talks to finish the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Blinken’s arrival on Tuesday marks his eleventh go to to the Center East for the reason that conflict in Gaza started greater than a 12 months in the past. Nonetheless, it’s his first since Israel’s battle with Hezbollah escalated late final month, and expectations for his try to rein within the hostilities seem low.
The go to received off to an inauspicious begin as Hezbollah launched medium-range missiles in direction of Tel Aviv, quickly shutting down Ben Gurion Airport, at which Blinken landed, based on Israeli media.
The US official is because of meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officers. In addition to in search of to restart talks on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in addition to Hezbollah, Washington can also be cautious of its ally’s intentions relating to navy retaliation for Iran’s October 1 missile attack.
The US-led diplomatic efforts have to date failed to bring an end to the yearlong Gaza war and its spillover battle between Hezbollah and Israel. Concern persists that the hostilities will escalate right into a full-blown regional conflict.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom reported from Amman, Jordan, that Blinken’s prospects of securing diplomatic progress throughout his journey are seen as “actually low”.
Change of technique
Israel’s battle with the Iran-linked armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon has intensified in latest weeks after a 12 months of exchanges of fireplace throughout the border.
Early on Tuesday, Hezbollah mentioned it had launched volleys of rockets at two Israeli navy bases close to Tel Aviv in addition to a naval base in Haifa.
Israel declared a state of emergency within the Tel Aviv space, and the nation’s emergency service mentioned a person was wounded by falling fragments within the northern city of Ma’agan Michael.
“That is the primary time we’ve seen medium-range missiles being utilized by Hezbollah,” mentioned Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Hasbaiyya in southern Lebanon.
“Simply final week, Hezbollah mentioned they have been going to alter their technique when it got here to coping with Israel,” he famous, suggesting that the group seems prone to launch comparable medium-range weapons “repeatedly” sooner or later.
In Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Well being reported that 13 folks, together with a toddler, have been killed and at the least 57 wounded in an in a single day Israeli assault close to Rafik Hariri College Hospital in southern Beirut.
Al Jazeera’s Laura Khan, reporting from the Lebanese capital, mentioned paramedics “are nonetheless digging via the rubble” within the neighbourhood.
Restricted hopes
The backdrop of violence to Blinken’s visit serves as an example the sparse hope that his go to will lead to a breakthrough.
“The rhetoric from Prime Minister Netanyahu and lots of others in his authorities in addition to the Israeli opposition is in a tone of defiance, so it’s an uphill battle at this stage,” Jamjoom mentioned.
That mentioned, former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin mentioned he hopes the journey will at the least “contribute to the choice of a ceasefire”.
“It truly is time to finish this conflict. We’re all paying a really excessive worth. We’re all struggling,” he instructed Al Jazeera.
After Israel, Blinken can also be scheduled to go to Jordan on Wednesday and focus on humanitarian help for the Gaza Strip, an official on the airplane with him mentioned.