Top US diplomat will meet with key Middle East leaders in London on Friday
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his Jordanian and Emirati counterparts and Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister while in London on Friday, a State Department official said.
The conversations with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan are likely to focus on efforts to shore up “day after” plans for stability, security and reconstruction in Gaza following the conclusion of the war.
His meeting with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is expected to focus on the ongoing Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah, which has taken a massive toll on the civilian population in Lebanon, including in the capital of Beirut.
The conflict at Israel’s northern border has been a focus of Blinken’s conversations throughout his trip to the Middle East.
Israel’s fight against Hezbollah “cannot lead — should not lead — to a protracted campaign” in Lebanon, the top US diplomat said at a news conference Thursday. He urged Israel to take necessary steps to prevent harm to civilians, the Lebanese military and United Nations peacekeepers.
The top US diplomat’s stop in the United Kingdom is the last expected stop on his trip, which included visits to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
More about the trip: A key crux of the trip has been to push forward efforts to try to secure the release of the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza in the wake of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s killing. Those efforts seem to have yielded a bit of progress, as Blinken and his Qatari counterpart announced negotiations would resume this weekend. However, there is little expectation of a breakthrough before the US election.
Egypt security delegation met Hamas leaders to discuss Gaza ceasefire, Egyptian media says
A high-level Egyptian security delegation met with Hamas leaders in Cairo to discuss the situation in Gaza and address challenges to achieving calm in the region, as reported by Al-Qahera News. According to a high-ranking source, this meeting is part of Egypt’s efforts to revive ceasefire negotiations and emphasized the country’s commitment to increasing humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Additionally, another meeting is anticipated this weekend in Qatar to resume discussions on a potential hostage exchange and ceasefire agreement in Gaza, a source informed CNN. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani noted that Qatar has reengaged with the Hamas political bureau in Doha following the recent death of the group’s leader, Yahya Sinwar.
