US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia and met with the country’s de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Monday (Feb 5) at the start of his Middle East tour as the United States has sought a Saudi normalisation deal with Israel amid the ongoing war.
Blinken meets Saudi crown prince
On his 5th trip to the Middle East since the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, Blinken met with the Saudi crown prince in Riyadh and is later expected to visit Israel, Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Egypt and Qatar.
The meeting between Washington’s top diplomat and the Saudi leader lasted for about two hours, reported Reuters. However, Blinken did not respond to shouted questions from reporters about the meeting but waved as he walked by.
He later took to X and said that they discussed “efforts to increase urgent humanitarian aid and ensure it gets to those who need it in Gaza.” Blinken added, “We will continue to engage in diplomacy in the region to prevent the further spread of the conflict.”
Ahead of the visit, Blinken stressed the need for “urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza”. This comes as aid groups in the Palestinian enclave have repeatedly sounded the alarm over the devastating impact of the war.
Washington’s top diplomat is also expected to discuss a truce framework which has not been signed off on by either Hamas or Israel.
Rise in tensions in the Middle East
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is escalating and spreading to the rest of the region with Iranian-backed groups entering the fray and firing on American soldiers in Iraq and Syria.
Meanwhile, Yemen-based Houthis attacked shipping routes in the Red Sea which they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Since the beginning of the war, there have been several attacks against American troops in the Middle East, including the drone strike last week in Jordan that killed three military personnel.
The US has been carrying out retaliatory strikes on Iran-backed militias across Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
However, Washington’s top diplomat will nevertheless try to reinforce the message that US President Joe Biden’s administration neither seeks war with Iran nor wants the conflict to spread. So far, Tehran despite its backing of several militia groups has avoided any direct role in the conflict.
Blinken’s key priority during this visit would be to “deliver a message directly to countries in the region that the United States does not want to see the conflict escalated and will not escalate the conflict,” a senior US official told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.
“It’s important to show up and say it on one-on-one,” the official added. Meanwhile, the talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt with the backing of the US about the possible release of more than 130 hostages in Gaza in return for a humanitarian pause, are underway.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
