US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met yesterday in Washington with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, reported France Press, quoted by BTA.
At his meeting with Gallant, Blinken urged Israel to avoid a new escalation in Lebanon. In addition, Blinken and Gallant discussed the efforts being made to free people held hostage by "Hamas" in an attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement against Israel on October 7 last year.
Blinken "underscored the importance of avoiding further escalation of the conflict and that a diplomatic solution must be reached," said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The war between Israel and "Hamas" provoked a military escalation on Israel's border with Lebanon and raised fears that the conflict could escalate.
Israeli forces and fighters from the Lebanese Shiite movement ``Hezbollah,'' which is allied with ``Hamas,'' often engage in cross-border skirmishes.
The US secretary of state also said that Israel must make additional efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip, the State Department said in a statement.
In the framework of his visit to the USA, Yoav Gallant also met with the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, who is the main American figure in the negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza and for the release of the Israelis held hostage by "Hamas".
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza after the unprecedented attack by "Hamas" against the Jewish state on October 7 last year.