US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed calls for a diplomatic solution between Israel and Lebanon and said a Gaza ceasefire deal would have a major effect in lowering tensions, AFP reports.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that the best way also to empower a diplomatic solution to the north — in Lebanon — is a resolution of the conflict in Gaza and getting a ceasefire. That will take a tremendous amount of pressure out of the system,” Blinken told reporters in Doha.