According to the Anadolu Agency, the top US diplomat described the recent escalation in the West Asia region as a "precarious moment," adding, "The choices that all parties make in the coming days will determine which path this region is on, with profound consequences for its people now and possibly for years to come”.
"The most important thing to do through diplomacy is to try first to stop firing in both directions and then to use the time that we would have in such a ceasefire to see if we can reach a broader diplomatic agreement," Blinken told reporters at a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Friday.
"The path to diplomacy may seem difficult to see at this moment, but it is there, and in our judgment, is necessary, and we will continue to work intensely with all parties to urge them to choose that course," he said.
He reiterated the Biden administration's position that the US is still gathering information regarding Israel's recent military attacks on southern Beirut on Friday.
Israel has pounded Lebanon since Monday morning, killing over 700 people and injuring nearly 2,200 others, according to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry.
The ministry also said that the death toll in Lebanon since last October is 1,540, in addition to more than 77,000 displaced from southern and eastern parts of the country.
Israel's tensions with Lebanon have continued since its genocidal war started on Gaza in October last year. Relentless Israeli bombing has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children till date.
AMK/PR