On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Israel to refrain from escalating its war with Iran and stated that “now is the time” to put an end to the fighting in Gaza.

Israel has vowed to retaliate for Iran’s October 1 missile strike and is engaged in combat with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

After the military advised inhabitants of portions of the coastal city to evacuate in anticipation of operations against Hezbollah, official media in Lebanon reported an Israeli drone strike on Tyre.

A cloud of dense black smoke rose from the city following the hit, according to AFPTV footage, and the warning triggered a fresh flight from the once-vibrant city situated on the Mediterranean coast.

Tyre’s crisis management unit chief, Mortada Mhanna, stated, “We’re evacuating people because the situation is really bad.”

The media officer for the unit, Bilal Kashmar, stated, “You could say that the entire city of Tyre is being evacuated.”

This is Blinken’s eleventh trip to the area since the war in Gaza began, and his first since Israel-Hezbollah hostilities turned into a full-scale conflict late last month.

According to an AFP count of Israeli government estimates, Hamas’ October 7, 2023 onslaught on Israel marked the start of the war in Gaza and claimed 1,206 lives, the majority of them civilians.

42,718 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory attack in Gaza, primarily civilians, according to estimates from the UN-recognized health ministry of the Hamas-run enclave.

Israel has accomplished the majority of its strategic goals regarding Gaza since October 7 of last year. As he departed Israel after discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking officials, Blinken declared, “Now is the time to turn those successes into enduring, strategic success.”

“Progress is being made, which is good, but more progress needs to be made and, most critically, it needs to be sustained,” Blinken said of aid to Gaza.

“It’s also very important that Israel respond in ways that do not create greater escalation,” the senior US diplomat said in reference to Israel’s vow to retaliate for Iran’s October 1 missile launch.

Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia after Israel, which has halted negotiations for a normalisation agreement with Israel until the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The American envoy called on Israel to take advantage of what he called a “fantastic opportunity” to negotiate with Saudi Arabia.

Both President Joe Biden’s and his French colleague Emmanuel Macron’s attempt to arrange a temporary truce in Lebanon and previous US attempts to stop the conflict in Gaza and limit its regional repercussions have failed.

Still in Gaza are hostages.

During Tuesday’s discussion with Netanyahu, Blinken pushed his friend to take advantage of the death of Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar in Gaza in order to push for a truce.

The strike that started the conflict in Gaza on October 7, 2023, was planned by Sinwar.

Netanyahu praised his death and stated it did not spell the end of the fight, but it may be the start of the end.

Additionally, 251 hostages were returned to Gaza by the extremists. There are still 97 people detained there, including 34 that the Israeli military claims are dead.

According to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Blinken “understood the need to capitalise” on Sinwar’s death at his meeting with the Israeli prime in Jerusalem.

“Ensuring the release of all hostages and bringing the conflict in Gaza to a conclusion that offers long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” he said, would accomplish this.

According to a statement from the prime minister’s office, Netanyahu told Blinken that Sinwar’s passing “may have a positive impact on the return of the hostages.”

As worries about the tens of thousands of people trapped by war in the inaccessible north grow, Blinken also pushed for additional supplies to be let into besieged Gaza.

This month, Israel vowed to prevent Hamas terrorists from reassembling in the region and began a significant air and ground attack in northern Gaza.

Hossam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, cautioned that the sole medical institution in the targeted region that is still partially operational has “no medicine or medical supplies.”

“We are unable to stop people from dying on the streets. There are corpses on the streets.

Hezbollah’s successor

After fighting Hamas in Gaza for almost a year, Israel turned its attention to Lebanon in late September, promising to defend its northern border from Hezbollah’s attacks.

According to an AFP analysis of Lebanese health ministry data, Israel increased its airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds around the nation and deployed ground forces late last month in a conflict that has claimed at least 1,552 lives since September 23.

Hezbollah continued to strike Israel on Wednesday, claiming to have launched rockets targeting an Israeli military intelligence facility in the outskirts of Tel Aviv, a major commercial centre.

The Israeli army claimed to have killed the Hezbollah cleric who was predicted to succeed the group’s deceased leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike three days ago on Tuesday.

Although Hashem Safieddine’s death has not been confirmed by Hezbollah, a high-ranking source close to the organisation claimed that the militant commander has not been in communication since the attacks.

In a statement, Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi claimed, “We have reached Nasrallah, his replacement, and the majority of Hezbollah’s senior leadership.”

Following further appeals for civilians to leave the region, the Israeli military bombarded the southern suburbs of Beirut, a once-heavy Hezbollah stronghold, once more on Tuesday.