WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken renewed calls for a diplomatic deal between Israel and Hezbollah on Monday, as the Israeli military campaign against the Lebanese militant group threatens to engulf the Middle East in a wider war.

“Diplomacy remains the best and only path to achieving greater stability in the Middle East,” Blinken told foreign counterparts gathered in Washington for a meeting of the global coalition to defeat the Islamic State.   

“The United States will continue to work with our partners in the region around the world to advance a diplomatic resolution that provides real security to Israel and Lebanon, and allows citizens on both sides of the border to return to their homes,” Blinken said. 

The top US diplomat spoke hours after the Israeli air force struck within the city limits of Beirut for the first time since the cross-border fire escalated nearly a year ago. Israel has widened its offensive since killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on Hezbollah’s central command headquarters in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh on Friday.