What's happened
Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli military bases as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel to push for a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict. The situation escalates following intensified fighting and recent Israeli military actions against Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to the South China Morning Post, Hezbollah's recent rocket fire targeted key Israeli military installations, coinciding with Blinken's arrival in Israel to advocate for a ceasefire. The SBS notes that analysts find a ceasefire 'hard to imagine' given the current intensity of fighting. The Independent reports that Israeli defenses intercepted most projectiles, but the situation remains precarious as Israel continues its military operations in Lebanon. This reflects a broader trend of escalating violence and diplomatic stalemate in the region.
How we got here
The conflict has escalated since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a year-long war in Gaza and increased hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire have largely failed.
More on these topics
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Yahya Sinwar is the current Palestinian leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, having taken over from Ismail Haniyeh in February 2017. He was one of the co-founders of the security apparatus of Hamas. He is the second most powerful figure within Hamas.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Antony John Blinken is an American government official who served as United States Deputy Secretary of State from 2015 to 2017 and Deputy National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2015 under President Barack Obama.
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Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese parliament.
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Lebanon, officially known as the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lies west across the Mediterranean Sea.