Blinken to lead a new tour of the East amid fears of regional escalation of the war

US Secretary of State, anthony blinkenThis Thursday night there will be a new beginning middle east tour

At a time when fear is growing about something possible regional climbing of conflict between israel And Hamas, The official will make several stops that will take him to Tel Aviv, Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the West Bank and Egypt. It is the senior official’s fourth visit to the region and fifth to the Jewish state since the conflict began on October 7.

During his time in the region, he will have to address complex issues related to the conflict, such as Israel’s plans for efforts to prevent a repeat of another attack that occurred in October. transition to a new stage Regarding operations, actions of defense forces protect civilians And an assessment on “how to allow” Palestinians return to their homes And as fighting subsides in the Gaza Strip, so does the neighborhood.

Similarly, it will also table the question hostages which will remain in the hands of Hamas and stress the importance of “expanding and maintaining secure access” humanitarian organization Delivering food, water and medicines, as well as commercial goods, to all areas of the Palestinian enclave.

Blinken, on the other hand, will “propose specific steps that each actor can take, including using their influence over others in the region to avoid tensions,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, when the region is a critical Was in the moment. The two episodes raised tensions between Israel, the United States – which maintains its support for the country – and the regime. iran With terrorist militias, which it brings together – e.g. Hamas And Hezbollah,

“We do not expect every negotiation on this journey to be easy. Obviously, the region faces difficult issues and decisions, but the Secretary believes it is the responsibility of the United States to lead diplomatic efforts to address those challenges,” Miller declared, adding, “It is “It is not in the interest, nor in the interest, of any country in the region, nor in the interest of any country in the world, to see this conflict escalate further.”

The death of one of the founders and top leaders of the Palestinian group was initially announced Tuesday during an attack in Lebanon. Saleh Al-Arouri

He was killed in an attack south of the capital Beirut while he was in a building where a Hamas office was believed to operate. It is also believed that a meeting was taking place with other fighters at the time of the missile attack, who also lost their lives.

While Israel neither confirmed nor denied being behind the attack, Iran and the militants immediately blamed it and promised a response. Additionally, the leader of Hezbollah, the militia that controls southern Lebanon and which for weeks has been launching daily attacks against Israel in support of Hamas, has warned A “war without borders” If Israel orders more attacks of this style and declares war on his country.

A day later, this Wednesday, another event left the region on the brink of a major conflict: it was two explosions This happened during a commemoration ceremony kermanIran on the anniversary of the general’s death Qasim Sulemani,

The head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force was assassinated in January 2020 during a bombing ordered by the United States in Baghdad, Iraq. A day earlier, hundreds of people had gathered at the Martyrs’ Cemetery to remember them when two explosive devices detonated and injured about 200 people and killed 84.

At the same time, Iran once again accused Israel and America of being behind this incident. Washington distanced itself from the facts

, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller initially said, “This appears to be a terrorist attack, the kind of thing ISIS (Islamic State) has done in the past.” “We have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion.”,

After all, this Thursday, islamic state finished taking credit for this attack Near the grave of a general of the Persian Revolutionary Guard. In a statement released through their Telegram channels, they indicated that two of their members “went towards a large concentration” and “detonated their explosive belts.”

Despite this news addition to diplomatic efforts, the situation in the Gaza Strip with Hamas and Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah remains the same, with repeated attacks from all sides on a daily basis.

(With information from AFP and EFE)