US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East again this Thursday amid fears that Israel's war in Gaza will spread throughout the region, following the deadly explosions in Iran and the assassination of a Hamas leader in Lebanon.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the trip –Blinken's fourth to the region since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Stripbut declined to give details about the itinerary, other than to say that it will include a visit to Israel.
On previous trips, Blinken has also visited several Arab countries.
The announcement came Wednesday after at least 95 people were killed and more than 200 injured in Iran in two explosions. near the grave of a murdered Revolutionary Guard general, and that Hamas ally Tehran quickly blamed the United States and Israel for the attack.
Washington denied any suggestion of involvement in the attacks by either country.
(You can read: Israel would be negotiating with countries about the resettlement of Gazans after the war)
Blinken is expected to visit Israel and other countries in the region.
But a US official told AFP that An unclaimed attack the night before, which claimed the life of Hamas' number two in a Beirut suburb, had been the work of Israel.
Before the announcement of Blinken's visit, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller echoed fears in the Middle East about the possible spread of the war between Israel and Hamas to the rest of the region.
“It is not in anyone's interest, nor in the interest of any country in the region, nor of any country in the world to see this conflict escalate any further,” Miller said.
It is not in anyone's interest, nor in the interest of any country in the region, nor of any country in the world to see this conflict escalate further.
In Iran, whose clerical leaders support Hamas, Two explosions killed at least 95 people on Wednesday as they commemorated Revolutionary Guard General Qasem Soleimani. killed exactly four years earlier in a US attack ordered by Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump.
(Also: Hamas number two dies in an Israeli bombing on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon)
The United States denied any involvement by itself or Israel, and a senior Biden administration official stated that the “terrorist attack” is similar to those of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), which is firmly opposed to Iran, with a Shiite majority.
Israel and Iran have long been bitter enemies, and since the start of the war in Gaza violence has escalated around Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Cloud of smoke in central Gaza after the Israeli attacks on January 1, 2024.
Tehran also blames Israel for a December attack in Syria that killed Razi Mousavi, a senior commander of the Quds Force, the same branch of the Revolutionary Guard Corps that Soleimani had once led.
The US Biden administration has backed Israel with public, diplomatic and weapons support, and a few days ago Blinken again bypassed the Congressional review to accelerate the sale of weapons to Israel.
(Also: 'They gave ketamine to a girl': the harsh stories of the Israelis freed by Hamas)
But the Biden administration has also expressed exasperation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.and the high number of civilian victims in the Gaza Strip, as well as with statements from Netanyahu's ruling coalition.
The Hamas commando attack on October 7 left nearly 1,140 dead in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
Fighters from the Palestinian Islamist movement also took about 250 hostages, of whom 129 remain in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
After the attack, Israel launched a wave of bombings and a ground offensive that has left at least 22,313 dead, mostly women and minors, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory, governed by Hamas.
AFP
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