Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on his ninth visit since October 7th to Israel and the broader the Middle East. Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Secretary Blinken said, “this is a decisive moment – probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the hostages home, to get a ceasefire, and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security.”
“I’m here as part of an intensive diplomatic effort on President Biden’s instructions to try to get this agreement to the line and, ultimately, over the line. It is time for it to get done,” he said. “It’s also time to make sure that no one takes any steps that could derail this process, and so we’re working to make sure that there is no escalation, that there are no provocations, that there are no actions that in any way could move us away from getting this deal over the line or, for that matter, escalating the conflict to other places and to greater intensity.”
Secretary Blinken acknowledged that “this is a fraught moment in Israel with deep concern about the possibility of attacks coming from Iran, coming from Hezbollah and other sources.” Both Iran and Hezbollah have threatened to strike Israel over the assassinations of militant leaders in Lebanon and Tehran, raising the prospect of a much broader conflict.
In response, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and accelerated the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group’s deployment. In addition, two destroyers — the USS Bulkeley and the USS Roosevelt — have been in the area for several weeks.
Secretary Blinken stressed that the focus of his visit is to get the hostages home and the ceasefire done. “It is time for everyone to get to yes and to not look for any excuses to say no.”
