Israel’s Netanyahu rebuffs US plea to call off Rafah offensive

Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike in the central Gaza Strip (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has once again left the Middle East empty-handed as Israel’s prime minister rejected American appeals to call off a promised ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The tough message from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sets the stage for potentially difficult talks next week in Washington between top US officials and a high-level Israeli delegation.