US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel to take advantage of the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to end the war quickly at the end of his visit to the Jewish State.
“Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success. And there are really two things left to do, get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow," Blinken said before he departed for Saudi Arabia Wednesday morning.
Blinken said that good "progress" has been made in the increase of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, "but more progress needs to be made and, most critically, it needs to be sustained.”
Addressing Israel's plans to respond to Iran's massive ballistic missile attack earlier this month, Blinken said, “It’s also very important that Israel respond in ways that do not create greater escalation."
Yesterday, Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the meeting, which lasted two and a half hours, was "friendly and fruitful." Following the one-on-one meeting, the two met with the professional echelons from the two nations.
During the meeting, the sides discussed the Iranian threat and the need for the two countries to unite against it. The Prime Minister thanked the Secretary of State for the US's support in the struggle against the Iranian axis.
Netanyahu updated Blinken on the IDF's operation in Lebanon and the need to lead security and diplomatic changes in the north which would allow Israel to return its citizens to their homes.
The Secretary expressed the US's deep shock over Hezbollah's attempt to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister and made it clear that it was an extreme and unwonted incident. The Prime Minister thanked Blinken and noted that the matter had dramatic significance and could not be ignored.
A senior Biden Administration official told CNN that the need to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza was a "prominent topic" during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's meetings in Israel on Tuesday.
During the discussions, Blinken directly addressed concerns with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the so-called "General's Plan," which the US asserts involves isolating and starving the people of Gaza, the official said.
In response, Netanyahu and his close associate, Minister Ron Dermer, made a "commitment" that this is not their policy, the official added. Blinken encouraged them to make this clear publicly, according to CNN, but did not secure any commitments from Netanyahu regarding public statements on the matter.