Lebanon's Hezbollah militia launched a barrage of rockets towards northern Israel on Saturday in response to the targeted killing of Saleh Arouri, the deputy political leader of Hamas in Lebanon's capital. The attack, which Hezbollah claimed was its initial response, came a day after the group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, warned that if they did not retaliate, all of Lebanon would be at risk of Israeli attack. Nasrallah appeared to be rallying support from the Lebanese public, even at the risk of further escalating the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which is already engaged in a war with Hamas.

Hezbollah stated that it fired 62 rockets towards an Israeli air surveillance base on Mount Meron and claimed direct hits. However, the Israeli military reported that around 40 rockets were launched towards Meron and did not confirm if the base was hit. The Israeli military retaliated by striking the Hezbollah cell responsible for the rocket attack.

These cross-border exchanges occurred as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on an urgent Middle East diplomatic tour, his fourth visit to the region since the Israel-Hamas war began three months ago. The war was sparked by a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and the capture of 250 hostages. Israel responded with a relentless campaign of airstrikes, ground operations, and naval bombardments, resulting in the deaths of over 22,600 Palestinians, with two-thirds of the casualties being women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

In recent weeks, Israel has been shifting its military focus to the south of Gaza, intensifying its offensive against Hamas and vowing to crush the group. As a result, the humanitarian crisis in the southern part of the territory has worsened, with most of Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians being squeezed into smaller areas while enduring continuous Israeli airstrikes.

On Saturday morning, the European Hospital in Khan Younis received the bodies of 18 people who were killed in an overnight airstrike on a house in the Maan neighborhood. Saleh al-Hamms, head of the nursing department at the hospital, revealed that more than three dozen people, including displaced individuals, had sought shelter in the house when it was hit. Israel has held Hamas responsible for civilian casualties, arguing that the group operates within Gaza's civilian infrastructure. However, international criticism of Israel's conduct in the war has grown louder due to the mounting civilian death toll.

During his Middle East trip, Blinken began his discussions in Turkey, where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The Biden administration believes that Turkey and other regional powers can play a crucial role in exerting influence, particularly on Iran and its proxies, to prevent the conflict from escalating further. Blinken sought Turkish support for potential post-war reconstruction efforts in Gaza and the establishment of a multinational force in or near the territory.

After Turkey, Blinken proceeded to Greece to meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has expressed support for US efforts to contain the Israel-Hamas war and has offered assistance if the situation deteriorates. The Secretary of State's itinerary also includes visits to Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the West Bank, with the trip concluding in Egypt.