Washington [US], February 5: US Secretary of State Antony Blinnken left for the Middle East in the latest round of shuttle diplomacy, while White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the country would continue to attack groups linked to Iran. .
Secretary of State Blinken departed for the Middle East on January 4 with the goal of promoting a ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip to rescue hostages, according to AFP. This is Washington's top diplomat's fifth trip to the region since a military conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas , the Palestinian force that controls Gaza.
On his latest trip, Mr. Blinken will stop in Saudi Arabia, Israel, as well as Egypt and Qatar, two important bridges with Hamas and have become important intermediaries in negotiating efforts from when war broke out. Hamas has an office in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The trip took place days after the US carried out retaliatory attacks against targets in Iraq and Syria that Washington said were linked to Iran. This is the latest escalation in a conflict that US President Joe Biden initially sought to avoid getting caught up in.
The trip also comes as the Biden administration appears increasingly frustrated with Israel, imposing sanctions on extremist Jewish settlers, although Washington has resisted calls from the international community to Ask Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza.
The ceasefire plan being discussed was born during negotiations in Paris a week ago with the participation of the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and officials from Israel, Qatar and Egypt. According to the proposal, the sides will pause fighting for 6 weeks while exchanging hostages brought by Hamas to Gaza and Palestinian prisoners imprisoned in Israel.
Speaking after a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington DC on January 29, Secretary of State Blinken said that there is "real hope" for the success of the above "good and strong proposal".
Qatar also expressed optimism, although Hamas said no agreement had yet emerged, while Israel also had internal divisions, with hawks objecting to alleged concessions by Hamas.
In that context, the US intends to continue to conduct attacks against Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, according to Advisor Sullivan. In the past two days, the US has attacked such targets in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in retaliation for the killing of three US soldiers in an attack on a US military base in Jordan.
"We intend to carry out new attacks and actions to continue to send a clear message that America will respond when our forces are attacked, when our people are killed," he said. Jake Sullivan spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press" program on February 4.
Iran has so far shied away from any direct role in the Gaza conflict, even as it openly supports groups that have attacked Israel such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. The Pentagon says it does not want war with Iran and does not believe Tehran wants war.
Mr. Sullivan refused to answer a question about whether Washington could attack locations inside Iran, an action the US military has been very careful to avoid.
Speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation" program earlier, Mr. Sullivan said that the US attacks, which began on February 2, were "the beginning, not the end, of our response and will There are many next steps - some visible, some invisible."
"I would not describe this operation as an open-ended military operation," he said.
The official also revealed that Secretary of State Blinken, during his trip to the Middle East this week, will pressure Israel to allow more food, water, medicine, and tents to be brought into Gaza, the land that has become a place " cannot reside" - according to UN officials - after nearly 4 months of fighting.
"This will be his top priority when he meets with the Israeli government, that the needs of the Palestinian people are something that will be front and center in America's approach," Sullivan said on CBS.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
