Blinken talks to G7 foreign mins for urgent de-escalation in Middle East

United States Secretary Antony Blinken on Sunday spoke with G7 Foreign Ministers to discuss diplomatic efforts to prevent the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.

"Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke today with the G7 Foreign Ministers to discuss the urgent need for de-escalation in the Middle East," the US State Department said in an official statement.

"The Secretary and Foreign Ministers discussed ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire that secures the release of hostages and allows a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza. They discussed how a ceasefire in Gaza would unlock the possibility of greater peace and stability in the region, including across the Blue Line," the statement added.

Further, the Secretary and Foreign Ministers reiterated their commitment to Israel's security and urged maximum restraint from all parties to keep the conflict from escalating.

Following this, US State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller shared a post on X and stated, "@SecBlinken spoke with G7 Foreign Ministers to discuss diplomatic efforts to prevent the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East."

The development comes as tensions continue to rise every minute between Israel and Iran, also Lebanon after the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

The killing of two senior militants of Hamas and Hezbollah in quick succession raised the temperatures in the Middle East, besides the ongoing war in Gaza, which has been continuing for nearly 10 months.

Around 50 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel on Sunday (local time), SKY News reported, citing Israeli media reports.

Videos showed Israel's Iron Dome defence system being activated over the area.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it attacked a new Israeli settlement, Beit Hillel, with rockets. This is in response to Israel's attacks on Palestinian villages in Gaza, which hurt civilians. Hezbollah is supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance.

In a statement, Hezbollah said, "In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honourable resistance, and in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks on the steadfast southern villages and safe homes, especially the attacks that targeted the villages of Kafr Kila and Deir Siryan and injured civilians, the Islamic Resistance included the new settlement of Beit Hillel in its fire schedule and bombarded it for the first time with dozens of Katyusha rockets.