The US does not want Israeli actions in Lebanon to lead to a protracted campaign, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Thursday, more than a month since Israel began a major offensive against Hezbollah.

Blinken also said he anticipated negotiators would meet in the coming days for discussions on a Gaza ceasefire deal, signalling a renewed bid to achieve a deal that diplomats have repeatedly failed to secure during more than a year of conflict.

Blinken has been on his first trip to the region since Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked conflict across West Asia. Washington has expressed hope his death can provide an impetus for an end to the fighting.

Israel launched its Lebanon offensive with the declared aim of securing the return home of thousands of Israelis evacuated in northern Israel during a year of rocket fire by Hezbollah.

Over the last month, Israel has pounded southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley and sent ground forces into areas near the border. The Israeli campaign has killed more than 2,500 people, displaced more than 1 million people and spawned a humanitarian crisis, Lebanon says.