Israel Not Looking for Confrontation with Hezbollah, Says President 

Israeli soldiers patrol an area near the northern border with Lebanon on October 23, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol an area near the northern border with Lebanon on October 23, 2023. (AFP)
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Israel Not Looking for Confrontation with Hezbollah, Says President 

Israeli soldiers patrol an area near the northern border with Lebanon on October 23, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers patrol an area near the northern border with Lebanon on October 23, 2023. (AFP)

Israel is not looking to wage war with Hezbollah militants on its northern border, but is focused instead on battling Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Tuesday during a meeting with French head of state Emmanuel Macron.

"I want to make clear, we are not looking for a confrontation on our northern border or with anyone else ... But if Hezbollah drags us into a war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price," Herzog said.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
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Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.