He is the most senior militant in the armed group killed since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel triggered all-out war in Gaza and lower-intensity fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in the north.

An apparent Israeli airstrike has killed two Palestinian journalists in southern Gaza

Biden administration officials have urged Israel to wind down its blistering air and ground offensive in Gaza and shift to more targeted attacks against Hamas leaders.

The mission – that will also take him to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt before he returns to Washington – is Blinken’s fourth to the region since the war began.

Stepped-up attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels have disrupted international trade and led to increased efforts by the U.S. and its allies to patrol the vital commercial waterway and respond to threats.

Hezbollah said it launched 62 rockets toward an Israeli air surveillance base on Mount Meron and that it scored direct hits.

A presumed Israeli strike hit a Beirut neighborhood this week, killing a senior Hamas official.

His death could provoke major retaliation by Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah militia.