US Top Diplomat Blinken Speaks with Israeli and Palestinian Leaders

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media at a press conference in the State Department’s briefing room in Washington, DC, USA, 15 August 2023. (EPA)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media at a press conference in the State Department’s briefing room in Washington, DC, USA, 15 August 2023. (EPA)
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US Top Diplomat Blinken Speaks with Israeli and Palestinian Leaders

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media at a press conference in the State Department’s briefing room in Washington, DC, USA, 15 August 2023. (EPA)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media at a press conference in the State Department’s briefing room in Washington, DC, USA, 15 August 2023. (EPA)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the State Department said.

Blinken spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about expanding Israel’s regional integration and countering threats posed by Iran, the department said in a statement.

In a separate statement, the State Department said Blinken expressed continued concern about ongoing violence in the West Bank when he spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

They also discussed their support for a two-state solution and opposition to actions endangering its viability, the department said.



Hezbollah Rockets Hit Israel’s Haifa and Tiberias, 10 Injured

An Israeli rescue force member inspects the site where a projectile fell,amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in Haifa, northern Israel October 7, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli rescue force member inspects the site where a projectile fell,amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in Haifa, northern Israel October 7, 2024. (Reuters)
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Hezbollah Rockets Hit Israel’s Haifa and Tiberias, 10 Injured

An Israeli rescue force member inspects the site where a projectile fell,amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in Haifa, northern Israel October 7, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli rescue force member inspects the site where a projectile fell,amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, in Haifa, northern Israel October 7, 2024. (Reuters)

Hezbollah rockets hit Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, Israeli police said early on Monday, and Israeli media reported 10 people were injured in the country's north.

Hezbollah said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with a salvo of "Fadi 1" missiles. Media reports said two rockets hit Haifa on Israel's Mediterranean Coast and five others hit Tiberias 65 km (40 miles) away.

Police said some buildings and properties were damaged, and there were several reports of minor injuries with some people taken to a nearby hospital.

Video taken by surveillance camera showed the moment a Hezbollah rocket hit Haifa.

Reuters was able to independently verify the location with the design and outline of the buildings, business signs, trees and road layout that match the file and satellite imagery of the area. Reuters was able to independently verify the date with corroborating reports and the timestamp of the footage.

Israel's military said fighter jets hit targets belonging to Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters in Beirut, including intelligence-gathering means, command centers, and additional infrastructure sites.

Over the past few hours, the airstrikes struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the area of Beirut, the military said, noting that secondary explosions were identified following the strikes, indicating the presence of weaponry.

Airstrikes also struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa area, including weapons storage facilities, infrastructure sites, a command center, and a launcher, the military said.

It blamed Hezbollah for deliberately embedding its command centers and weaponry beneath residential buildings in the heart of the city of Beirut and endangering the civilian population.