US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced hope on Friday for a diplomatic solution in Lebanon and preventing a broader conflict in the region. Blinken however, said that Israel, which has been carrying out deadly strikes on Lebanon, “has a right to defend itself” against Hezbollah, but said he was alarmed by the worsening humanitarian situation. The US is Israel’s key alley, and has supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons used amid its onslaughts in Gaza and Lebanon. “We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region,” Blinken told reporters after an East Asia S…