Secretary Of State Blinkin Heads To Mideast Again As Fears Of Regional Conflict Surge
January 4, 2024 9:13AM AKST
FILE - Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about the roll-out of the International Religious Freedom Report at the State Department in Washington, Monday, May 15, 2023. Blinken is planning to travel to China next week as the Biden administration pushes to improve ties that hit a new low in February after a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down over U.S. airspace. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to the Middle East this weekend for the fourth time since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October as once-abated fears about a regional conflagration are surging with attacks and assassinations in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq.
The Biden administration had breathed a sigh of relief about the potential for a broader Mideast war in the immediate aftermath of Israel’s military response to the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
Two-and-a-half months later, though, the chances of a regional war have increased.
The State Department says Blinken will visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.
