Blinken says surprise escalations threaten to derail talks for a cease-fire in Gaza

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed frustration Wednesday at surprise escalations that threaten to derail efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza, noting that the United States is assessing a deadly attack that caused pagers used by Hezbollah to explode in Lebanon.

Blinken spoke to reporters in Cairo, where he traveled for talks on the cease-fire negotiations and U.S.-Egyptian relations. While Israel has not publicly spoken on responsibility in the pager attack, a U.S. official has said Israel briefed the United States after the explosions.

The United States, Egypt and other international partners are working for an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt nearly a year of war in Gaza and release hostages held by the militant group. The U.S. says such a deal is the best chance at tamping down wider regional tensions, with Israeli leaders threatening to step up military action against Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the pager attack risking further escalation.

“Time and again” when the U.S. and other mediators believe they are making progress on a cease-fire deal in Gaza, “we've seen an event that ... threatens to slow it, stop it, derail it,” Blinken said in response to a question about the previous day's explosions in Lebanon.

Personal pagers used by Hezbollah in Lebanon exploded nearly simultaneously Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, including two children.

Blinken reiterated that the U.S. was still gathering information on the circumstances of the pager attack and declined to make more specific comments.

In other unexpected events that have put a cease-fire deal at risk, Blinken spoke of the discovery this month of the bodies of six hostages who Israel said had been recently killed by Hamas. They were among those still held in Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks in Israel that launched the war.

When news came of their deaths, negotiators had been making progress on the timing and other details of a swap that would have freed hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, America's top diplomat said.

Blinken, who had meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, said the most dire need in the troubled cease-fire negotiations was for both sides to show they actually wanted a deal.

“The most important thing in this moment is to see a demonstration of political will,” Blinken said.

He headed to his 10th trip to the Middle East since the war in Gaza began without the optimistic projections that the Biden administration has previously conveyed of a breakthrough in the negotiations. The U.S., Egypt and other allies say a deal is essential to quelling escalated attacks by Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.

Israeli leaders warned this week of a possible military offensive in Lebanon to stop what have become daily exchanges of rockets and missiles between Hezbollah and Israel across the southern Lebanese border.

Abdelatty, the Egyptian foreign minister, said Wednesday the region was on the brink of wider war and spoke critically of Tuesday's targeted explosions in Lebanon.

“Any escalation, including what happened yesterday, certainly hinders reaching a cease-fire deal and the release of hostages and detainees," he said. “Certainly what happened doesn’t only hinder the current talks, but also risks getting into a full-scale war.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of slow-rolling the talks for a cease-fire in Gaza because a deal could mean the collapse of his hardline coalition government, with some members opposed to any deal with the Palestinians.

Ahmed Hatem in Cairo contributed to this report.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, speaks to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, after their press conference at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attend a joint press conference in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, not pictured, in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a joint press conference in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attend a joint press conference in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference with Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Into the final year of his contract at Manchester City, questions are being asked again about Pep Guardiola's future.

The latest came after Wednesday's Champions League game against Inter Milan, with an Italian journalist asking if Guardiola could see himself working in Italy one day.

“I love English football, it is fantastic, really enjoyable. They leave you alone to get on with the job. That doesn’t happen anywhere else," the City manager said.

Guardiola has already stayed at City for longer than any of his other managerial jobs - and longer than many expected when he was appointed in 2016.

It will be nine years by the end of the season, compared to four at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.

“It’s a great club. I really feel good being here,” he said.

Guardiola likely knows he will never find another club like City in elite European soccer. Backed by the spectacular riches of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, he has been allowed to build a team in his image, with exorbitant amounts spent to assemble a squad that has enjoyed unprecedented dominance of the Premier League.

He has close relationships with his immediate superiors at the club - CEO Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, who he previously worked with at Barcelona - and he is idolised by the supporters.

That's a difficult package to walk away from and whenever the possibility has arisen, Guardiola has been convinced to extend his contract.

It has reached that point once again where he must decide if he has the energy or will to go on for longer.

The outcome of the hearing into more than 100 charges of alleged financial breaches that was due to start this week could also be a factor.

Jurgen Klopp's decision to stand down at Liverpool last season was evidence of the toll soccer can take on managers. For long periods he matched Guardiola stride for stride in the battle for supremacy - and even halted City's rule when winning the title in 2020.

The intensity of their rivalry forced each man to greater heights and in January Klopp made the shock announcement that he needed a break from it all.

“It is not what I want to (do), it is just what I think is 100% right,” the German said at the time.

Guardiola did likewise when taking a 12-month sabbatical after his first job at Barcelona. He's now been in continuous employment since taking over at Bayern in 2013 - winning league titles in all but two of those 11 seasons.

Those are the levels he has been operating at and that dominance should not be confused with an easy ride - particularly during his time in England when Klopp's Liverpool and latterly Mikel Arteta's Arsenal have pushed City to the limits of their powers to remain at the summit.

Arteta has added a new dimension to England's top flight by transforming Arsenal's fortunes since leaving his role as Guardiola's assistant to take over at The Emirates Stadium in 2019.

He takes his team to City on Sunday as the man likeliest to seize Guardiola's crown.

City vs. Arsenal, Guardiola vs. Arteta. These are now the biggest rivalries at the top of English soccer.

Two seasons ago, Arsenal spent 248 days at the top of the standings, but was eventually beaten to the title by City. No other team had spent so long in first place without being crowned champion.

Last season, Arsenal went even closer when taking the race down to the last day of the campaign, but eventually finished two points behind City.

Arteta has signed a new three-year contract, which is a statement of Arsenal's faith in him to continue to challenge Guardiola.

Over the last two years, however, Arteta - like Klopp before him - has discovered the extraordinary levels required to topple City.

After topping the standings for so long in 2022-23, Arsenal recorded its most wins in a Premier League campaign - 28 - last season and still ended up empty-handed.

A return of 89 points was the club's second highest in the Premier League era - one short of the 90 achieved by its ‘Invincibles’ team that won the title in 2004.

Arsenal also ended a winless run against City dating back to 2016 - taking four points from two games against its title rival and still came up short.

So there is little evidence of Guardiola wilting in the face of a fresh challenger. He won a treble of trophies, including a first Champions League for City, in 2023 and an English record fourth successive top division title last term.

City is already two points ahead of Arsenal going into Sunday's match and the only team with a 100% record at the start of the season.

If this is to be Guardiola's final season, he is already leading it from the front.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola attends a press conference at the City Football Academy in Manchester, England, Tuesday Sept. 17, 2024. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)