Israel launched a wave of airstrikes in what it called a preemptive strike, which prompted Hezbollah to fire hundreds of rockets and drones in response.

‘There is nothing – no apartment, no furniture, no homes, only destruction,’ said one woman. ‘We are dying slowly.’

Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday before what mediators have billed as a last push to reach a deal that will take place in Cairo later this week.