With the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on February 5 local time. The visit, Blinken's fifth trip to the Middle East since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7, is aimed at addressing the stalemate over tensions between the United States and Iran, and brokering a new humanitarian ceasefire and hostage exchange agreement between Kazakhstan and Israel.
Despite reports of retaliatory airstrikes by the U.S. military against Iranian-backed militant groups in Syria and Iraq, Blinken's trip sends a signal that Washington is seeking to de-escalate tensions with Iran and the militia groups it supports.
A senior U.S. said the U.S. does not want to see the conflict escalate and will not allow it to escalate. He said they did not expect the situation to escalate despite the White House vowing further retaliation in the coming days.
One of the important agendas of the visit was to urge Hamas to reach a six-week truce with the Israeli army and to exchange hostages. U.S. affairs adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. will continue to put pressure on both sides to get a positive response to ensure that all hostages can return home and be reunited.
However, a senior Hamas ** said that they are still working on a ceasefire agreement and that it is too early to talk about a truce.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, Blinken will visit Qatar, Egypt, Israel and the occupied West Bank. He will urge more food, water and medicine to be sent to the Gaza Strip to meet the needs of the Palestinian population.
U.S. high-level** said they would travel to the three countries involved in these talks: Egypt, Qatar and Israel, in an effort to achieve a breakthrough, although there is uncertainty about whether and when it will succeed.
Prior to this, French Foreign Minister Céjourne had already traveled to Egypt on 4 April to mediate efforts to broker a ceasefire between Kazakhstan and Israel and the release of detainees. France will continue its efforts to ensure that the ceasefire is implemented in preparation for the Palestinian Authority's return to Gaza.
In summary, the international community is making efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East, but how to achieve lasting peace remains a complex and serious challenge. What do we think about this challenge? Welcome to leave a message to discuss!