Hezbollah says it launches volley of rockets into Israel, Blinken returns seeking ceasefire

Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at two bases near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv and one west of Haifa on Tuesday morning, just hours before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to make another push for an elusive ceasefire.

Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to bring an end to the year-long war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza and its spillover conflict between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel, which has intensified in recent weeks after a year of exchanges of fire mostly across Lebanon's southern border.

Shortly after Blinken landed, Lebanon's health ministry said the death toll from an Israeli strike on Monday night near Hariri Hospital, Beirut's main government medical facility, had climbed to 13.

After a heavy night of Israeli strikes on Lebanon's south and the southern suburbs of its capital, Beirut, Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at the Glilot base used by Unit 8200 of Israeli military intelligence and the Nirit area in Tel Aviv's suburbs.

The group said it also fired rockets at a naval base outside the port city of Haifa further north.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. Israeli authorities said air sirens were activated in areas southeast of Tel Aviv due to one projectile identified crossing from Lebanon and falling in an open area. Other sirens sounded in Tel Aviv.

Blinken's trip to the region is his 11th since the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023, that triggered the Gaza war.

Blinken will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other officials during the day as part of a week-long Middle East visit that also includes Jordan and Qatar.

In Israel, Blinken will discuss Israel's anticipated retaliation for a ballistic missile attack launched by Iran on October 1, a senior State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Allies are worried that Israel's retaliation could disrupt oil markets and risks igniting a full-blown war between the arch-enemies. Iran has written to the UN nuclear watchdog to complain about Israeli threats to strike its atomic energy sites, its foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, at a news conference in Kuwait during a regional tour, said Tehran does not seek war in the Middle East and has made efforts to reduce tensions but is prepared for any conflict.

"We know that Israel does not follow any international rule. We have our own tools to defend ourselves and our nuclear infrastructure," Araqchi said.

"Attacking nuclear facilities is a big international crime, even threatening to attack nuclear sites is an international crime and goes against international laws," Araqchi said.

The U.S. official said that in meetings with Israel and Arab countries Blinken will stress "day after" issues, particularly security, governance and reconstruction. Having detailed plans for what happens when the hostilities eventually end are seen as prerequisites for achieving any lasting resolution to the conflict.