NEW YORK

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday called for path to diplomacy as Israel intensified its strikes in Lebanon, warning both Israel and Hezbollah to "stop firing".

“The most important thing to do through diplomacy is to try first to stop firing in both directions, and then to use the time that we would have in such a ceasefire to see if we can reach a broader diplomatic agreement,” Blinken told reporters at a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

“The path to diplomacy may seem difficult to see at this moment, but it is there, and in our judgment, is necessary, and we will continue to work intensely with all parties to urge them to choose that course,” he said.

Describing the recent escalation in the Middle East as a “precarious moment,” the top U.S. diplomat said, ”The choices that all parties make in the coming days will determine which path this region is on, with profound consequences for its people now and possibly for years to come”.

He emphasized that one path is diplomacy and achieving a ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border, while the other leads to more conflict, violence, suffering, and greater instability and insecurity.

He said that one path is the diplomacy and getting a ceasefire along the border between Israel and Lebanon, while the other path leads to conflict, violence, more suffering and greater instability and insecurity.

Blinken also stated that the U.S. will take every measure to defend American personnel and interests in the region.

He reiterated the Biden administration's position that the U.S. is still gathering information regarding Israel's recent military attacks on southern Beirut on Friday.​​​​​​​

Israel has pounded Lebanon since Monday morning, killing over 700 people and injuring nearly 2,200 others, according to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The ministry also said that the death toll in Lebanon since last October is 1,540, in addition to more than 77,000 displaced from southern and eastern parts of the country.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,500 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7.