Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel needs to pursue an “enduring strategic success” after its tactical victories against Hamas
TEL Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Israel needs to pursue an “enduring strategic success” after its tactical victories against Hamas, urging it to seek a deal that would end the war in the Gaza Strip and bring back dozens of hostages.
He spoke before traveling from Israel to Saudi Arabia on his 11th visit to the region since the outbreak of the war. Air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv shortly before his departure as Israel intercepted two projectiles fired from Lebanon, and a puff of smoke could be seen in the sky from Blinken’s hotel.
“Israel has achieved most of the strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza », Blinken told reporters before boarding his plane. “Now is the time to turn those successes into an enduring strategic success.”
“There really are two things left to do: Get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow,” he said.
The United States sees a new opportunity to revive cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli forces in Gaza last week. But there’s no indication that either of the warring parties have modified their demands since talks stalled over the summer.
There was also no immediate sign of a breakthrough after Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials on Tuesday.
Israel blamed the failure of the talks on a hard-line stance adopted by Sinwar, but Hamas says its demands for a lasting cease-fire, full Israeli withdrawal and the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners have not changed following his death. Hamas blamed the failure of the talks on Israel’s demand for a lasting military presence in parts of Gaza.
