WRITER: KIMORA LAURAHIC QUARSKINGHENRY

Israeli forces pounding targets in northern Gaza and Lebanon despite U.S. objections, Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked Monday for the Middle East to try to bring about a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas amid signs of Washington’s limited influence over Israeli policy.

The warning appeared online last week in Arabic beneath pictures of U.S. warplanes: “Do not take up arms against the United States or its partners,” it said, noting that America “will protect its partners in the face of threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies.”