US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Paris for talks on the Middle East hosted by France after attacks on Hezbollah operatives attributed to Israel, AFP reports.
Washington has not explicitly condemned the explosion of hundreds of communication devices used by group operatives across Lebanon, but the White House warned all sides against escalation, as did France.
The latest events in Lebanon risk undermining US efforts to engineer a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
During his Paris stop — scheduled to last just a few hours — Blinken is to meet with foreign ministers Stephane Sejourne of France, Antonio Tajani of Italy and the UK’s David Lammy. Germany will be represented by an official in the absence of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, diplomatic sources said.
Blinken will also see President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace.The meeting will focus on the state of talks aimed at getting a ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in Lebanon, Italy’s Tajani said in a statement.