US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday for his 11th trip to the region since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Washington aims to relaunch cease-fire efforts following the assassination of key Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, but all warring groups appear to be digging in. More than a year after the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack, Israel remains at war with Hamas, as well as with Hezbollah in Lebanon, where it started a ground incursion earlier this month. Israel is also preparing to strike Iran in reaction to its ballistic missile attack on October 1.

Hospitals in Lebanon fear being targeted by Israel. The death toll from Israeli airstrikes late Monday that destroyed numerous buildings near one of Beirut’s main hospitals has risen to 13. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported 57 other injuries, seven of which were critical. The Israeli military stated that it struck a Hezbollah target, but did not elaborate, and that it did not target the hospital. On Tuesday, Associated Press reporters visited Rafik Hariri University Hospital, the country’s largest public hospital. They noticed damaged windows in the hospital’s pharmacy and dialysis centre, which were full with patients at the time.

The explosions also wrecked part of the hospital’s solar panels. Staff reported that, in the middle of their own terror, they had to cope with wounded patients flooding into the hospital following the strikes across the street. Staff at another Beirut hospital were concerned that it would be attacked after Israel claimed Hezbollah had stashed hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and gold in its basement without presenting evidence. The director of the Sahel General Hospital refuted the charges and invited media to the hospital’s two basement floors on Tuesday. AP reporters spotted no militants or unusual activity. The few surviving patients were evacuated when the Israeli military said Hospitals may lose their international legal protection if they are used for military reasons.

In the past. The United States, Egypt, and Qatar brokered months of discussions between Israel and Hamas, attempting to reach an agreement in which the militants would release scores of hostages in exchange for an end to the war, a long-term cease-fire, and the release of Palestinian detainees. However, both Israel and Hamas accused each other of making fresh and unacceptable demands during the summer, and the talks came to a standstill in August. Hamas claims that its demands have not changed since Sinwar’s death. Before the expected Israeli strike, both the US and Iran increase their outreach efforts. Blinken is anticipated to meet with Netanyahu and other top officials, and to visit a number of Arab countries, such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the allies

“All the neighbours assured us that they will not allow their lands and air to be used against Iran,” Araghchi told the state-run IRNA news agency. The Arab Gulf governments have not officially provided such commitments. Gulf Arab countries such as the UAE and Qatar have significant military sites, and there are concerns that an all-out regional war will drag them in. Iran has frequently pledged to respond to any Israeli strikes. War rages in Lebanon and northern Gaza. The United States has previously attempted to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, but those attempts failed as tensions rose last month following a series of Israeli strikes that killed the militant group’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and the majority of his senior commanders.

Israel has carried out waves of massive airstrikes on southern Beirut and the country’s south and east, areas where Hezbollah is strong. Hezbollah has launched hundreds of rockets, missiles, and drones against Israel, some of which have reached the country’s population centre. On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants assaulted southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people, the majority of them were civilians, and capturing another 250 hostage. Around 100 hostages are still imprisoned in Gaza, with a third believed to be dead. The day following Hamas’s attack, Hezbollah began targeting Israel. Iran supports both organisations. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded tens of thousands, according to local health authorities, who do not disclose how.