The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated this Saturday, in Greece, that it is necessary to “do everything possible” to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading to other territories, particularly on Israel’s border with Lebanon.
“We must ensure that the conflict does not spread. And one of the real concerns is the border between Israel and Lebanon,” said the head of American diplomacy, at the end of a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in Chania. (on the island of Crete).
Antony Blinken is touring several Middle Eastern countries, focusing on the need for bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and mediation to release hostages held by Hamas.
The multi-country trip, which ends Thursday, comes at a time of concern about the risk of escalation and expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas in the region.
“Many of the conversations we will have in the coming days with our allies and partners will be about actions they can take to ensure that the conflict does not worsen.”, he said.
Blinken visited Turkey today, where he met with President Recep Erdogan, and after Greece he will travel to Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.
The most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas was triggered by the Palestinian Islamist movement’s unprecedented attack on Israeli territory on October 7, massacring some 1,140 people, mostly civilians but also 400 soldiers, and taking more than 200 hostages, according to Tel Aviv figures. officials.
In retaliation, Israel, which has vowed to eliminate the Palestinian movement considered terrorist by the European Union and the United States, launched a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip, where, according to the local government, more than 22,000 people have already died. -most of them women, children and adolescents- and more than 57,000 injured, also mostly civilians.
The conflict also displaced around 1.9 million people (about 85% of the population), according to the UN, plunging the overcrowded and poor Palestinian enclave into a serious humanitarian crisis.
Source: TSF
