Secretary of State Blinken calls for restraint in Lebanon after Israeli attacks on Hezbollah

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday called for “restraint" in Lebanon after Israeli attacks in the country against the terror group Hezbollah, including exploding communications devices and targeted strikes.

"France and the United States are united in calling for restraint and urging de-escalation when it comes to the Middle East in general and when it comes to Lebanon in particular," Blinken said during a news conference in Paris alongside French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné. 

Further attacks in the Middle East would complicate a potential ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

“We continue to work to get a ceasefire for Gaza over the finish line, and as we discussed with some of you just a day ago in Egypt, we believe that remains both possible and necessary,” Blinken said. “But meanwhile, we don’t want to see any escalatory actions by any party that make that even more difficult.”

Blinken noted that Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel since Oct. 8 and Israel has been firing back in response.

Blinken said the State Department is currently working toward “a diplomatic resolution” to conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday that it launched overnight strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israeli was reportedly behind the explosions of pagers and other communications devices used by Hezbollah members, which occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday and resulted in casualties.