U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for the Middle East on Thursday (Jan. 4), including a visit to Israel for ongoing diplomatic consultations on Israel’s conflict with Hamas, a senior U.S. official said.
There are growing fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict will escalate into a regional war.
The senior official, who asked not to be named, added that U.S. diplomatic envoy Amos Hochstein will also travel to Israel in an effort to ease tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
The official said Blinken would depart Thursday evening “for a number of capitals, including Israel.”
The official did not provide further details, but Blinken has visited a number of Arab countries on previous trips, such as Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
This will be Blinken’s fourth visit to the Middle East and fifth to Israel since Israel went to war with Hamas.
On Tuesday, an attack on Lebanon’s southern suburb of Beirut killed Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau, fueling fears of regional repercussions. Israel stepped up its efforts to bombard the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
Arouri has been on Israel’s hit list. While Israel has not commented directly on the incident, David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Intelligence Agency, said Wednesday that the agency would hunt down every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, wherever they are.
Barnea’s statement was seen as a strong hint that Israel was behind the attack, while Hezbollah vowed to avenge Aruri’s murder.
The incident was particularly notable because it was the first attack on the Lebanese capital since the Israeli-Hamas war, and could lead to a low-intensity conflict along the Lebanese border that could turn into a full-scale war.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday, “It is in no one’s interest, in no country’s interest in the region, and in no country’s interest in the world for this conflict to escalate further.”
U.S. President Joe Biden has been on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days, hoping to facilitate humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages held by Hamas.
In addition, Houthi attacks over the past few weeks have led to a heightened security situation in the Red Sea. The U.S. and 11 allied nations warned the Houthis on Wednesday (Jan. 3) that “if the Houthis continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of commerce in the region’s vital waterways, they will suffer the consequences.”
The statement was also signed by the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, and Japan, among others. The statement comes as the U.N. Security Council prepares to hold an emergency meeting to discuss Red Sea security.
Since October, Houthi militants have launched attacks using drones, missiles and small boats, claiming to be targeting “ships linked to or traveling to Israel.” The militants have stated that their actions are in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
