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 end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Blinken’s arrival on Tuesday marks his 11th visit to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago. However, it is his first since Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah escalated late last month, and expectations for his attempt to rein in the hostilities appear low.
The visit got off to an inauspicious start as Hezbollah launched medium-range missiles towards Tel Aviv, temporarily shutting down Ben Gurion Airport, at which Blinken landed, according to Israeli media.
The US official is due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials. As well as seeking to restart talks on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as well as Hezbollah, Washington is also wary of its ally’s intentions regarding military retaliation for Iran’s October 1 missile attack.
The US-led diplomatic efforts have thus far failed to bring an end to the yearlong Gaza war and its spillover conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Fear persists that the hostilities will escalate into a full-blown regional war.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom reported from Amman, Jordan, that Blinken’s prospects of securing diplomatic progress during his trip are seen as “really low”.
Change of strategy
Israel’s conflict with the Iran-linked armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon has intensified in recent weeks after a year of exchanges of fire across the border.
Early on Tuesday, Hezbollah said it had launched volleys of rockets at two Israeli military bases near Tel Aviv as well as a naval base in Haifa.
Israel declared a state of emergency in the Tel Aviv area, and the country’s emergency service said a man was wounded by falling fragments in the northern town of Ma’agan Michael.
“This is the first time we’ve seen medium-range missiles being used by Hezbollah,” said Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan, reporting from Hasbaiyya in southern Lebanon.
“Just last week, Hezbollah said they were going to change their strategy when it came to dealing with Israel,” he noted, suggesting that the group appears likely to launch similar medium-range weapons “again and again” in the future.
In Lebanon, the Ministry of Public Health reported that 13 people, including a child, were killed and at least 57 wounded in an overnight Israeli attack near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in southern Beirut.
Al Jazeera’s Laura Khan, reporting from the Lebanese capital, said paramedics “are still digging through the rubble” in the neighbourhood.
Limited hopes
The backdrop of violence to Blinken’s visit serves to illustrate the sparse hope that his visit will result in a breakthrough.
“The rhetoric from Prime Minister Netanyahu and many others in his government as well as the Israeli opposition is in a tone of defiance, so it is an uphill battle at this stage,” Jamjoom said.
That said, former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin said he hopes the trip will at least “contribute to the option of a ceasefire”.
“It really is time to end this war. We are all paying a very high price. We are all suffering,” he told Al Jazeera.
After Israel, Blinken is also scheduled to visit Jordan on Wednesday and discuss humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, an official on the plane with him said.