PARIS, Sept 19, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - US Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken arrived in Paris Thursday for talks on the Middle East hosted by France after attacks on Hezbollah operatives attributed to Israel.

Washington has not explicitly condemned the explosion of hundreds of communication devices used by group operatives across Lebanon which have cost dozens of lives and injured thousands.

But the White House on Wednesday warned all sides against escalation, as did France.

The latest events in Lebanon risk undermining US efforts to engineer a ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Blinken was in Cairo hoping to make progress on ceasefire negotiations when the two waves of explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies happened Tuesday and Wednesday.
During his Paris stop -- scheduled to last just a few hours -- Blinken is to meet with foreign ministers Stephane Sejourne of France, Antonio Tajani of Italy and the UK's David Lammy.

Germany will be represented by an official in the absence of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, diplomatic sources said.

Blinken will also see President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee palace.

The meeting will focus in particular on the state of talks aimed at getting a ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in Lebanon, Italy's Tajani said in a statement.

Blinken said Wednesday in Cairo that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza would be the best way to stop violence from spreading in the Middle East.

It was Blinken's 10th trip to the region since the start of the war that was sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

His visit was another bid to salvage stalled negotiations mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the conflict.

No other regional stops, including Israel, were on his itinerary.

"We all know that a ceasefire is the best chance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, to address risks to regional stability," he said.

A possible strengthening of Western support for Ukraine in its war with Russia is also on the agenda for Thursday's gathering in Paris, Tajani said.

Blinken met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv last week.