US Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken arrived in Paris on Thursday for Middle East discussions sponsored by France following Israeli-attributed attacks on Hezbollah operatives.
The explosion of hundreds of communication devices used by ISIS operatives around Lebanon, which resulted in thousands of injuries and dozens of fatalities, has not been specifically denounced by Washington.
However, France and the White House both issued warnings against escalation on Wednesday.
The recent developments in Lebanon pose a threat to US efforts to mediate an end to hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Tuesday and Wednesday’s two waves of pager and walkie-talkie explosives occurred while Blinken was in Cairo, attempting to advance truce talks.
Blinken’s brief visit to Paris is expected to include meetings with the foreign ministries of Italy, France’s Stephane Sejourne, and the United Kingdom’s David Lammy.
Diplomatic sources reported that in the absence of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Germany will be represented by an official.
At the Elysee Palace, Blinken will also run into President Emmanuel Macron.
According to a statement from Italy’s Tajani, the meeting would primarily address the status of negotiations aimed at achieving a truce in Gaza and the circumstances in Lebanon.
In Cairo on Wednesday, Blinken stated that the best way to prevent violence from spreading throughout the Middle East would be to end the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
This was Blinken’s tenth visit to the area since the war began, which was precipitated by the attack on Israel on October 7 by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
His visit was an attempt to restart the conflict-ending talks that had been put on hold by Egypt, Qatar, and the US.
Israel was not one of the other regional destinations on his itinerary.
“We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability,” he stated.
According to Tajani, the meeting on Thursday in Paris may possibly include a potential expansion of Western assistance for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, met Blinken last week in Kiev.
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