TEL AVIV — A rocket attack briefly forced Secretary of State Antony Blinken to go to an air raid shelter Wednesday after sirens rang out across Tel Aviv, a senior administration official told NBC News.
Smoke, apparently from an intercepted projectile, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying. A loudspeaker inside the building told everyone to stay inside.
A second administration official said the rocket had been fired by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group. The Israeli military did not comment when NBC News asked about the incident.
The all clear from the citywide alert came approximately 10 minutes after the sirens started.
Blinken, on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war in Gaza, urged Israel to seek a deal to end the war and bring back dozens of hostages.
After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, Blinken said he had pushed them to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterated his warning that the failure to do so could lead to a reduction in U.S. military aid.
“There’s progress made, which is good, but more progress needs to be made,” Blinken told reporters. He added that Israel “had achieved most of its strategic objectives when it comes to Gaza,” but this had come at “the great cost of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
“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,” he said.
After Israel confirmed the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week, Blinken said that “the primary obstacle for realizing the hostage agreement” was now gone.
Health officials in Gaza say almost 43,000 people have died in Gaza since the outbreak of a war that began with Hamas‘ terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 people taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Around 100 people remain in captivity, although a third are believed to be dead.
Large swaths of Gaza have also been destroyed in the war and around 90% of its population of 2.3 million people has been displaced.
As Israel escalates its offensive in Lebanon, where it has killed dozens of Hezbollah members, including its top leaders, Blinken said it was “absolutely critical” that the warring parties move back from the border between the two nations “and that we can create an environment in which people on both sides of the border can return to their homes in peace and security.”
However, there is no indication that either side appears willing to alter their position since talks broke down over the summer, despite Sinwar’s death.
Hamas has said it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has pledged to annihilate the militant group and recover dozens of hostages it holds.
