Blinken Commits US To Continued Support

Meeting with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken commits to continued support for Israel from the US, stating "We're here, and we're not going anywhere." Comes as part of a hastily-arranged visit to the Middle East for Blinken amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Blinken is also set to meet with leader of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas before travelling to the Jordanian capital Amman for talks with King Abdullah.

• Blinken's main aim during his visit will be to discourage a regional escalation in the Israel-Hamas war, which remains largely contained to the areas in and around the Gaza strip.
• Ali Hashem at Al Monitor posts on X regarding the diplomatic efforts: "A lot of backchannels conveying messages, initiatives, and ultimatums. But how’s this going to impact the field. the US is reiterating its unequivocal support to Israel openly, yet there’s still a possibility Blinken might have some advice for Netanyahu to keep the conflict contained. A full scale war in the Middle East isn’t in anyone’s interest at the time the world is witnessing another major conflict, the Ukraine war. [...] [At] the moment the Lebanese front is limited to a tit for tat tension, the potential for deterioration is still high, mainly with Friday’s planned popular march on the border.[...] Attempts to keep Israeli troops on the border w Lebanon busy aims also at distracting the Israeli army. So Pal factions in Lebanon might launch additional attacks from Lebanon, [...]."