JERUSALEM, Israel – The U.S. continues its full-court press for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza while Iran's proxy Hezbollah pummels northern Israel with deadly projectiles.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the Middle East for the ninth time since the start of the war in Gaza as ceasefire talks with Hamas seem to be faltering.
"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," Blinken stated.
He met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog who pointed out Israel is fighting on multiple fronts, including terrorism, in the last 24 hours.
"We have suffered the loss of Gideon Parry, a 38-year-old father of three, who went to work in the plant, and one of his pals in the working place decided to murder him simply because he's a Jew and an Israeli," Herzog recounted. "Last night, we witnessed a suspected major terror attack in Tel Aviv, which is under investigation with a possible suicide bomber. And this morning, our soldiers have been attacked in Ya'ara – Ya'ara is on the border with Lebanon – by Hezbollah terrorists with drones."
Hamas is blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, writing in a statement, "We place full responsibility on Netanyahu for the failure of the mediators' efforts and the failure to reach a deal."
Netanyahu claims Israel is conducting very complex negotiations with a "murderous, uninhibited, and recalcitrant terrorist organization."
The prime minister declared, “Once again, I would like to emphasize: up until now, Hamas has been completely obstinate. It did not even send a representative to the talks in Doha. Therefore, the pressure needs to be directed at Hamas and (Hamas leader Yahya) Sinwar, not the government of Israel."
As the fight in Gaza goes on, Hezbollah is launching near-daily aerial attacks on northern Israel, with roughly 55 rockets fired on Saturday alone.
Also, an Israel Defense Forces drone attack in the Samarian city of Jenin killed two senior Hamas operatives this weekend.
In another incident, a leading Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, walked out of a CNN interview when he was repeatedly asked if Hamas accepts any responsibility for all of the Palestinian deaths it has caused by using Palestinians as human shields.
Meanwhile, if the talks to end the Gaza war fail, it may mean Iran and its proxies will launch massive attacks on Israel.
The New York Times reports the Iranian government delayed strikes on Israel to give time for ceasefire talks to succeed.
Israeli forces say they're ready for such attacks.
Major David Avraham, who heads the IDF International Press Department, explained, "Israel is not in the best neighborhood. We have been preparing for an attack and we are ready for anything. There are diplomatic attempts to de-escalate the situation, but we are ready for everything and anything on any front."
Israel believes Hezbollah will use failed talks as an excuse to launch rocket barrages toward Tel Aviv, the Jewish nation's largest metro area.
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