A rocket attack briefly forced Secretary of State Antony Blinken to go to an air raid shelter Wednesday after sirens rang out across Tel Aviv, a senior administration official told NBC News.
Smoke, apparently from an intercepted projectile, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying. A loudspeaker inside the building told everyone to stay inside.
A second administration official said the rocket had been fired by the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group. The Israeli military did not comment when NBC News asked about the incident.
The all clear from the citywide alert came approximately 10 minutes after the sirens started.
Blinken, on his 11th visit to the region since the start of the war in Gaza, urged Israel to seek a deal to end the war and bring back dozens of hostages.
After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, Blinken said he had pushed them to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and reiterated his warning that the failure to do so could lead to a reduction in U.S. military aid.