US Doesn't Want Protracted Israeli Campaign in Lebanon, Blinken Says

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on November 3, 2023 (FILE: AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on November 3, 2023 (FILE: AFP)
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US Doesn't Want Protracted Israeli Campaign in Lebanon, Blinken Says

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on November 3, 2023 (FILE: AFP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv on November 3, 2023 (FILE: AFP)

The United States does not want Israeli actions in Lebanon to lead to a protracted campaign, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, more than a month since Israel began a major offensive against Hezbollah in the country.

Blinken also said he anticipated negotiators would meet in the coming days for discussions on a Gaza ceasefire deal, signalling a renewed bid to achieve a deal that diplomats have repeatedly failed to secure during more than a year of conflict.

Blinken has been on his first trip to the region since Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked conflict across the Middle East. Washington has expressed hope his death can provide an impetus for an end to the fighting.

Israel launched its Lebanon offensive with the declared aim of securing the return home of tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated in northern Israel during a year of cross-border rocket fire by Hezbollah.

Over the last month, Israel has pounded southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley and sent ground forces into areas near the border. The Israeli campaign has killed more than 2,500 people, displaced more than 1 million people and spawned a humanitarian crisis, Lebanon says.

"As Israel conducts operations to remove the threat to Israel and its people along the border with Lebanon, we have been very clear that this cannot lead, should not lead, to a protracted campaign," Blinken said, speaking in Doha alongside the prime minister of Qatar, Reuters reported.

"Israel must take the necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and not endanger UN peacekeepers or Lebanese armed forces," he added.

Earlier on Thursday, an Israeli strike killed three Lebanese soldiers as they were trying to evacuate wounded people from the village of Yater near the border, the Lebanese army said.

Blinken said the United States was "working intensely" on a diplomatic resolution which would allow civilians on both sides on the border to return to their homes.

Hezbollah opened fire on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with its Palestinian allies in Gaza, prompting a conflict that had largely played out in areas at or near the border until Israel launched its major escalation.

Blinken said he anticipated the negotiations on Gaza would concern a return of hostages and a ceasefire. If Hamas cared about people of Gaza it would engage in negotiations and conclude an agreement, he said.

The United States was looking at "different options" that it could pursue when it comes to Gaza ceasefire talks, he added.



EU Preparing to Appoint Envoy to Syria to Address Migration Crisis

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)
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EU Preparing to Appoint Envoy to Syria to Address Migration Crisis

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni hold a joint press conference in Beirut. (Reuters)

The European Union is preparing to appoint a special envoy to Syria, with officials from the Commission and the External Relations Department emphasizing that this move is not intended to “normalize relations with the regime” but rather to address the escalating migration crisis, which is expected to become increasingly complex after recent developments in Lebanon.

Lebanon has seen nearly a quarter of its population displaced, with many of their homes destroyed in border villages and parts of Beirut due to Israeli attacks.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in coordination with her Austrian counterpart, has been active in recent months, pushing the EU toward normalizing relations with Syria to facilitate the return of refugees.

However, some member states, led by France, have strongly opposed this approach, ultimately agreeing—after extensive negotiations within the European Council—to appoint a special envoy whose mandate is limited to addressing the refugee crisis.

The issue of refugees and displaced persons was central to Meloni’s recent discussions during her regional visit, with Beirut as her final stop. There, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged her to intervene to help resolve the crisis, which poses significant challenges as winter approaches.

In July, Italy, currently holding the G7 presidency, decided to appoint an envoy to Damascus to “shed light” on Syria, as Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani put it.

Italy had withdrawn all its diplomatic staff from Damascus in 2012 and suspended its diplomatic activities in Syria in protest against the “unacceptable violence” by Bashar al-Assad’s regime against its citizens, who were holding peaceful rallies against his rule.

Earlier this summer, Italy and seven other EU countries sent a letter to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, urging a more active European role in Syria to help return a number of Syrian refugees from EU countries, particularly Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia.

The signatories called for an end to the EU’s “three no’s” policy: no lifting of sanctions, no normalization, and no reconstruction under the current regime, emphasizing that peace in Syria is impossible as long as the current government remains in power.

Reports from the EU Migration Department indicate that Syrians continue to leave their country in significant numbers due to worsening economic conditions. Many Syrian refugees in Lebanon are also joining irregular migration routes to Europe, as living conditions have deteriorated in Lebanon in recent years. Italy, Austria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, and Slovakia signed the letter.

Most of these countries have recently reopened their embassies in Damascus, with Italy the only G7 nation, to resume diplomatic activities in the Syrian capital.

Italian sources have expressed concerns that Israel’s war on Lebanon could spill over into Syria or expand regionally, potentially triggering another large-scale migration crisis that the EU may not be prepared to handle under current conditions.

However, the new European policy, spearheaded by Italy amid the ongoing regional shifts, aims for a broader objective: enhancing the EU’s presence in Syria to compete with Russia, contain the Iranian regime, which has recently faced significant setbacks, and counter Türkiye's expanding influence.

Syria has been under sanctions from the United States, the EU, and several other countries since 2011.