At a visit to Cairo to help jumpstart ceasefire talks, Secretary of State Blinken stated today (Wednesday) that an agreement is a matter of "political will" and that 15 of the 18 disputed items in the ceasefire agreement have now reached an agreed-upon resolution.
Regarding the mass beeper attack in Lebanon, Blinken, like his spokesperson Matthew Miller yesterday, said that the United States is still studying the details of the incident and not assigning responsibility, and he reiterated America's call on all parties to avoid steps which could lead to escalation in the region.
The Lebanese Health Minister has meantime provided an update on the number of dead and wounded from the mass explosion of Hezbollah pagers yesterday.
The government approved the returning of northern residents to their homes as one of Israel's war aims a few days ago, greatly increasing the possibility of war in the near future.
According to the minister, 12 were killed, including two children. The overall number of wounded is between 2,750 and 2,800, with the following regional breakdown:
- 750 wounded in southern Lebannon
- 150 wounded in the Bekaa region
- 1,850 in the Beirut and Dahia region
He added that 300 of the injured are in serious condition. The wounded have been taken to 100 different hospitals, and some of them have been evacuated to Syria and some will be evacuated to Iran.
The IDF announced that the ceremony meant to commemorate the fallen of the Golani Brigade today is cancelled and will be held at another time, due to "operational reasons."
This announcement comes as the 98th Division is being transferred from the Gaza area to the north, as the mass beeper explosion has greatly escalated tensions with Hezbollah.
Defense Minister Gallant has already held a situational assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and the IDF Spokesperson has said that at least for now, there are no new instructions in terms of civilian defense or sheltering.
