U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that now is “maybe the last” opportunity to reach a Gaza cease-fire agreement that would return hostages held by Hamas and bring relief to Palestinian suffering after more than 10 months of war in Gaza.
Blinken was on his ninth urgent mission to the Middle East since the conflict began. His visit came days after mediators, including the United States, expressed renewed optimism that a deal was close. But Hamas has voiced deep dissatisfaction with the latest proposal, and Israel has said there were areas it was unwilling to compromise on.
The trip also came amid fears the conflict could widen into a deeper regional war following the killings of top militant commanders in Lebanon that Iran blamed on Israel.
“This is a decisive moment, probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a cease-fire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” Blinken said as he opened talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.
Here’s the latest:
BEIRUT — Hezbollah said Monday it launched exploding drones at two Israeli bases, including in the northern town of Nahariya.
The attack came as tensions boil along the Lebanon-Israel border and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes his ninth diplomatic mission to the Middle East to push for a cease-fire deal to end the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
The powerful Iran-backed Lebanese group said the two drone attacks targeted the Ya’ra Barracks near the U.N.-mandated Blue Line and an Israeli military logistics base deeper into the country in Nahariya. Hezbollah earlier also said they fired rockets and artillery at a group of Israeli soldiers trying to cross into Lebanese territory in the central sector.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it intercepted some projectiles coming from southern Lebanon, while others “fell in the area of Ya’ra,” without providing additional information.
The Israeli military told media that it was unaware of Hezbollah’s drone attack on Nahariya, and the group’s allegations that a group of Israeli troops were trying to cross into Lebanese territory overnight.
Israeli jets over Beirut broke the sound barrier, causing sonic booms in the Lebanese capital. The Israeli military said it also targeted Hezbollah militants in the southeastern town of Houla and struck Hezbollah military infrastructure in Hanin and Ain al Shaab.
The group announced the deaths of at least two combatants on Monday.
JERUSALEM — Hamas claimed responsibility Monday for a bombing the day before in Tel Aviv that killed the apparent attacker and wounded a bystander.
The bomb appeared to go off before it was intended and the presumed attacker was shown in security footage walking down the street wearing a large backpack just before the explosion.
Israeli media quoted police officials as saying the intended target was a nearby synagogue.
Hamas’ militant wing said in a statement Monday that the group and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s militant wing were responsible for the blast and threatened to continue attacking “as long as the occupation’s massacres, displacement of civilians, and the continuation of the assassination policy continues.”
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