Antony Blinken: Lebanese ceasefire could have 'very positive effects' on ending conflict in Gaza

Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed reporters from the Group of 7 (G7) meeting in Italy on Tuesday afternoon within the hour of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected announcement of a ceasefire deal with Lebanon. 

"So if this is finally agreed, and if this goes forward, it is the answer to the problem that has bedeviled the area for a couple of decades," Blinken said.

"And is the best way to guarantee that there is peace, there is civility, there is stability, and this constant threat of attack from Hezbollah, which has caused people to leave their homes, kids to not be able to go to school, is over."

People in Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon can return to their homes, he said, which is the immediate effect of the agreement. 

'Also ending the conflict in Gaza'

"What's at stake as well, I think, are the larger ramifications of getting an agreement, including what I believe can be very positive effects on also ending the conflict in Gaza," Blinken added.

Blinken credited the US for efforts to maintain and increase humanitarian aid in Gaza and work towards ceasefires on the Lebanese and Gazan fronts. 

"It's also fair to say that what we've seen today would not have happened without US engagement, without US determination," he said. "So we're intensely focused on this. We will be till the last day of this administration."