washington — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Jordan on Sunday, where he met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. Blinken also visited a World Food Program warehouse where trucks are loaded with aid for Gaza. Jordan is the latest stop on Blinken’s tour of the region, which has been rocked by the Israel-Hamas fighting. Jordan and other Arab countries have demanded an immediate cease-fire since the conflict erupted in October, but Israel has resisted the call. Turkey is prepared to use its influence with critical countries in the Middle East to deescalate and prevent the Gaza conflict from spreading, Blinken told reporters late Saturday, after he held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strong critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Blinken held meetings earlier in the day with Erdogan in Istanbul, and then in Crete with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He embarked on a Middle East diplomacy tour this week seeking to calm the situation in Gaza and soothe regional frictions. In a separate meeting with Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for “an immediate cease-fire” in Gaza and for the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid. Fidan also advocated for the immediate start of negotiations for a two-state solution, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. The United States has urged a lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. This involves achieving Palestinian political rights — notably the establishment of a Palestinian state with security assurances for Israel. In Crete, Blinken thanked Mitsotakis for the country’s continued support for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken expressed appreciation for Greece’s commitment to the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. This is particularly crucial, as Yemeni Houthis have been attacking vessels in the sea in solidarity with Hamas. On Saturday, Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah group launched dozens of rockets into northern Israel. Israel responded with airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. “One of the areas of real concern is the border between Israel and Lebanon, and we want to do everything possible to make sure that we don’t see escalation there,” Blinken said Saturday. He told reporters that Israel is “clearly not interested” in an escalation and emphasized, “It’s not in Lebanon’s interest to see any escalation.” Blinken’s fourth trip to the Middle East comes amid intense diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of the humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip and increasing international pressure on Israel to reduce civilian casualties among Palestinians. Additionally, he will make the rounds in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt for meetings with foreign counterparts and other officials. This comes at a time when the risk of a broader regional conflict is surging, despite collective efforts of Western and regional powers to confine the Israel-Hamas war to the Gaza Strip. Israel began its military campaign to wipe out Hamas after Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on October 7. Israel said about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 captives taken in the terror attack. Gaza health officials say more than 22,000 Palestinians, a large percentage of them women and children, have been confirmed killed in Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The United States has stated its opposition to forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza. The U.S. is also working on a postwar road map for the Palestinian territories. “Gaza cannot, once again, serve as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against Israel,” State Department spokesperson Miller told VOA earlier this week. “What we ultimately want to see is Gaza and the West Bank reunited under Palestinian leadership,” and “certainly there’s no role for Hamas in that.” On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant outlined the country’s plans for the next stage of its operations in Gaza. The new approach involves a more targeted strategy in northern Gaza and a continued pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south. Gallant said in a statement that after the war, Gaza would no longer be under Hamas control. While Israel would retain operational freedom, there would not be any Israeli civilians present in the Gaza Strip. Regional stability The State Department said the United States remains “incredibly concerned” about the risk of the conflict spreading into other fronts, after the killing Tuesday of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut. The Israeli army said it was on high alert for attacks by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This follows a drone strike in Beirut that killed al-Arouri, who was closely associated with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. In a televised speech, Nasrallah said there would be a “response and punishment,” but he did not clearly declare that his forces would escalate attacks against Israel. The U.S. has sent a “very direct message to Hezbollah” and other entities in the region that “now is not the time to think of escalating further,” according to the State Department. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, has also voiced deep concern over the potential for escalation, while urging all parties to exercise restraint. Earlier this week, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the strike that killed al-Arouri, calling it a crime deliberately aimed at dragging Lebanon into a new phase of confrontations. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran, whose militant allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have also been carrying out longer-range attacks against Israel. Humanitarian aid The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, has warned that Gaza is becoming a public health disaster and that the recent mass displacement across southern Gaza is fueling disease outbreaks. About 400,000 cases of infectious diseases have been reported since October 7, with about 180,000 people suffering from upper respiratory infections. More than 136,000 cases of diarrhea have been reported, half among children younger than 5, according to OCHA. Hostage release Meanwhile, intense diplomatic efforts to retrieve the remaining hostages held in Gaza by Hamas militants continue. There are believed to be 129 people held by Hamas and other militants in Gaza. Last week, Egypt proposed a plan to end the military conflict involving a cease-fire, a phased hostage release, and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Details of the plan were reportedly worked out with Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments. But the head of Hamas’ political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, stated Tuesday that the hostages will be released only on Hamas’ terms. Some material for this report was provided by Reuters and The Associated Press.
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