Secretary Blinken & Prime Minister Netanyahu in October 2023 (video snippet)

In a tense, high-stakes diplomatic encounter, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, in what has been described as a blunt, businesslike, and at times terse meeting. The visit, Blinken's 11th to Israel since October 7, 2023, was part of ongoing US efforts to de-escalate a region teetering on the edge of all-out war, but it appears that this meeting fell short of achieving any significant breakthrough.

US officials, including Blinken, have been publicly calling for Israel to refrain from further escalating tensions with Iran after Tehran's missile strike on October 1, which targeted key military sites across Israel. This push for restraint was coupled with American hopes for a cease-fire in both Gaza and Lebanon, where fighting with Hamas and Hezbollah has surged to new heights. However, Netanyahu's stance was resolute, emphasizing Israel's sovereign right to act in defense of its people. He reportedly told Blinken that Israel would retaliate against Iran’s aggression, stressing that the recent assassination attempt on his life by Hezbollah forces would not go unanswered. Netanyahu narrowly escaped harm when a Hezbollah drone struck his private residence in Caesarea last week.

"This is not just a security matter; this is an act of war, an act of defiance that cannot go unpunished," Netanyahu told Blinken during their two-and-a-half-hour conversation, according to insiders. The sheer length of the meeting surprised many, especially given the perception that Blinken's previous trips to Israel had yielded little progress in aligning the two nations on how to handle Iran and its proxies. Unlike previous diplomatic visits, this time there were no joint statements, no photo-ops, and no extended press briefings, underscoring the deep differences in the Israeli and US approaches.

For Israel, the war against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is a fight for survival. Over the past 48 hours, Israel has intensified its military campaign, eliminating key Hezbollah commanders and taking out approximately 70 of the group’s fighters. The airstrikes have forced Lebanon into further disarray, with over 1.2 million Lebanese civilians displaced as the Israeli military continues to target Hezbollah positions. Yet, Blinken arrived with a clear message from Washington: the US would prefer diplomacy over firepower. For the Biden administration, Israel’s recent military victories presented a unique moment to push for a cease-fire and negotiations.

“Now is the time to convert battlefield successes into lasting peace,” Blinken said during a speech after his meeting with Netanyahu. He emphasized the importance of securing the release of hostages in Gaza, while simultaneously preparing for post-war reconstruction and diplomacy in both Gaza and Lebanon. However, his plea appeared to fall on deaf ears, as Netanyahu’s government remains committed to its hardline stance: the war will continue until Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon are neutralized.

At the heart of the issue is Iran, whose influence stretches across Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. Tehran's sponsorship of both Hezbollah and Hamas has made it a primary target for Israeli operations, despite US concerns that further military strikes on Iranian assets could lead to a broader regional conflict. Blinken’s warnings of global instability, including potential shocks to the oil markets, seem to have had little effect on Netanyahu, who remains undeterred in his mission to dismantle Iran’s network of terror proxies.

In Washington, there is growing frustration with Israel's refusal to budge from its military-first approach. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed that Blinken’s discussions with Netanyahu centered on “the need to deter further regional aggression from Iran and its proxies,” but acknowledged that Israel has made it clear it will act unilaterally if necessary. Blinken, for his part, reiterated the US’s “ironclad commitment to Israel’s security” while pushing for “a diplomatic resolution to the year-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah,” referring to the ongoing skirmishes that have turned southern Lebanon into a war zone.

Meanwhile, the US special envoy for Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, has been tirelessly shuttling between Beirut and Tel Aviv in a bid to secure a cease-fire. His proposal, reportedly based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006), suggests moving Hezbollah further back from the Israeli border to provide a buffer zone. There are even talks of increasing the UN peacekeeping forces stationed in southern Lebanon, and expanding the presence of Lebanese troops to prevent Hezbollah from reestablishing a foothold near the Israeli frontier.

But Israel has shown little interest in UN resolutions or ceasefire agreements. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant made it clear to Blinken that Israel will continue its military operations until Hezbollah is fully pushed out of southern Lebanon. “This fight is far from over,” Gallant warned, stating that the IDF’s offensive would only end once the “axis of evil,” referring to Iran and its terror affiliates, is dismantled. His remarks followed a brutal string of Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah strongholds and infrastructure.

Egypt has made attempts to mediate as well, proposing a temporary two-week pause in the fighting in exchange for the release of six hostages held by Hamas. However, Israeli officials are skeptical of any arrangement that doesn’t include the total destruction of Hamas’s terror apparatus in Gaza, and Hamas has flatly refused any deal that would leave Israeli troops stationed inside the Strip.

As the Israeli offensive grinds on, Netanyahu's government remains firmly resolved to see this conflict through to its bitter end, while Washington is left scrambling to keep the flames of war from spreading even further across the Middle East. The likelihood of a ceasefire seems increasingly remote, with neither Hamas nor Hezbollah showing any signs of backing down. And as Blinken’s latest visit demonstrated, the divide between Israeli and American goals in this volatile moment has only deepened.

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