WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is returning to the Middle East on his seventh diplomatic mission to the region since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began more than six months ago, the State Department said Saturday. Blinken is traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday, just two days since arriving back in Washington after a trip to China. Blinken will attend a World Economic Forum conference and meet with Arab foreign ministers in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. An Israeli foreign ministry official says Blinken will visit Israel on Tuesday, a stop not mentioned in the State Department’s announcement about Blinken’s itinerary. His latest Mideast trip, on the heels of meetings in China with President Xi Jinping and other high-ranking officials, comes as the war grinds on, with more than 34,000 Palestinians killed, hundreds of thousands displaced and a steadily worsening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. In the surprise attack by Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the war, about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 people abducted. |
Doja Cat SLAMS parents taking their children to her racy shows in expletiveSZA and Keke Palmer are set to star in a buddy comedy from producer Issa RaeA former Democratic Georgia congressman hopes abortion can power his state Supreme Court bidRebel Wilson thanks people for 'acknowledging my experiences with Sacha Baron Cohen'Ukraine pushes to get militaryDitching the lift and taking the stairs can reduce your risk of dying by a QUARTEREddie Murphy's The Pickup set crash saw two stunt vehicles collide and roll off the roadUli Hoeneß and Thomas Tuchel expose divisions at Bayern Munich before Real Madrid clashIraqi authorities are investigating the killing of a social media influencer2024 NFL draft: Browns' draft picks from Michigan