Hezbollah launched a wave of rockets at Israel as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived Tuesday in Tel Aviv for his latest attempt to broker a cease-fire in Gaza.

Blinken, on his 11th trip to the Middle East since the start of the Gaza war, will meet with Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem to urge Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to resolve their conflict diplomatically.

Efforts to find a solution at the negotiating table have so far failed to end the Gaza war and its spillover conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, which has intensified dramatically in recent weeks, sparking fears of a wider regional conflict. 

Even as Blinken landed, Hezbollah fired waves of rockets at two sites near Tel Aviv: the Glilot base used by Israel’s military intelligence and the Nirit suburb.

Rockets were also fired at a naval base outside the port city of Haifa, further north, and several sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, according to Reuters.

Tel Aviv will be the first stop on Blinken’s larger Middle East tour this week, which also includes stops in Jordan and Qatar.

According to a statement, the top U.S. diplomat will discuss “the importance of ending the war in Gaza, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people” with leaders.

Politico

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