Today, Saturday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will hold talks in Turkey, the first leg of a new tour that includes several countries, during which he will discuss in particular the war on the Gaza Strip and its repercussions on the region.
Blinken arrived in Istanbul yesterday evening, Friday, and his tour is scheduled to include Israel, the occupied West Bank, and 5 Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates, in addition to Greece.
The tour comes amid fears of widespread confrontations between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel following the assassination of Saleh Al-Arouri, deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), in an Israeli raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut last Tuesday.
A US State Department official told CNN that indirect communication with Iran to prevent a broader conflict in the region is a main focus of the Secretary of State’s tour.
In previous statements, the US Secretary of State said that he would return to the region to participate in efforts regarding the situation in Gaza, adding that he would continue to urge the protection of civilians and work intensively with partners to secure the release of Israeli detainees and ensure the continuous delivery of humanitarian aid to the Strip.
The US State Department also said that among the goals of the visit is to ensure that Palestinians are not forcibly displaced from their land, in addition to dissipating regional tensions, including deterring Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, and avoiding escalation in Lebanon.
In addition to the war on Gaza, Blinken is discussing in Turkey the file of Sweden joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Blinken is scheduled to head to Greece for a short visit after talks in Istanbul with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.