Blinken to meet Arab countries on Lebanon situation
Last Updated on October 27, 2024 5:07 am
The United States has urged Israel to keep its military campaign against Hezbollah short. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in London today on Friday to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon. He will also meet with top officials from several other Middle Eastern countries.
Al Arabiya reported this on Friday (October 25), citing a US official.
Blinken visited three Middle Eastern countries before arriving in London on Thursday. Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have not been visited by a top US diplomat before. This was Blinken’s 11th trip to the Middle East since the start of the Gaza war.
A State Department official said that in addition to the Lebanese prime minister, Blinken will also meet separately with the foreign ministers of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. These two countries are important partners of the US in the post-Gaza war plan.
Mikati attended a conference on Lebanon in Paris on Thursday. Where he said, only the Lebanese state forces should carry weapons inside the country. No other group. For the past few decades, the Iranian-backed armed political group Hezbollah has had its own forces.
Hezbollah has been involved in a conflict with Israel since October 7 last year in solidarity with Hamas. Which has now taken on a larger scale. If a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza, the Israeli operation in Lebanon is expected to also stop.
The United States is failing to stop Israel from immediately stopping its attacks on Lebanon. However, Tel Aviv relies on US military and political support.
At a press conference in Qatar on Thursday, Blinken said that Israel is working to eliminate the threat from Hezbollah, but ultimately there must be a diplomatic solution.
Blinken said, we have made it very clear that this cannot lead to a prolonged operation. Such military leadership should not be given. Israel must take necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and cannot endanger UN peacekeepers or the Lebanese Armed Forces.