Blinken meets the Saudi crown prince during a Middle East call for a pause in the Gaza war
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Monday launched a diplomatic push in the Middle East for a deal that would pause the war in the Gaza Strip and release hostages there, even as a drone struck a military base used by U.S. forces and allied troops. in eastern Syria.
Mr. Blinken, making it his fifth voyage to the region since the October 7 attack on Israel, meeting in Riyadh with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the first stop on a trip that will also include meetings in Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank.
In a call with the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, Mr. Blinken underscored “the importance of addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing the conflict from spreading further,” the State Department said. It added that they discussed “a lasting end to the crisis in Gaza, providing lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Mr Blinken hopes to broker a deal that could temporarily halt the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, secure the release of remaining hostages there in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, and more desperately needed aid in the Gaza Strip. area.
But even as Mr. Blinken tried to defuse tensions in the region, a drone struck a base in eastern Syria hosting American and allied forces, killing six Kurdish fighters, according to official media from the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish – guided group.
Maj. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman, said no U.S. injuries were reported as a result of the drone strike.
The Syrian Democratic Forces blamed the attack on a militia group linked to Iran, which would make it the latest in a series of attacks by Iranian-backed militias since the start of Israel's war against Hamas.
For the past decade, the Syrian Democratic Forces, made up of fighters from the local Kurdish ethnic minority, have operated in eastern Syria with support from a US-led international coalition that needed a local partner to fight the Islamic State group . Although ISIS has largely been defeated there, there are still a limited number of American troops on the ground.
U.S. forces in the region have come under repeated attacks in recent months by Iranian-backed militant groups, as the groups have targeted bases and troops in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, as well as U.S. ships in the Red Sea.
The United States and its allies have retaliated with several airstrikes, including some this weekend against a militia in Yemen in response to the ship attacks, and Friday against targets in Syria and Iraq in response to a drone strike that killed three people came. American soldiers in Jordan.
The Biden administration has said it does not want to engage in direct military conflict with Iran. Iranian officials have also said they want to avoid a broader war, while warning they would respond if attacked.
“Iran is not trying to increase tension and crisis in the region – we do not support tension and chaos,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday. “Iran has shown that it will respond vigorously to any threat to its sovereignty and will not hesitate to use all its capabilities for a response that will make them regret it.”
Analysts and U.S. officials have said Iran exerts varying degrees of control over the armed groups it supports in the region. And analysts have warned that both sides risk the tit-for-tat attacks spiraling out of control.
Amid fears of a wider war, Israeli forces advanced Monday toward Rafah, a southern Gaza city that is a key entry point for aid and a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes earlier in the war.
On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Rafah “Hamas's last stronghold.”
“Any terrorist hiding in Rafah should know that they will end up like those in Khan Younis, Gaza or any other place in the Gaza Strip,” Mr. Gallant said, referring to other cities in the area that have been bombed by Israeli forces. “Surrender or death – there is no third option.”
The turn to Rafah could increase international pressure on Israel, including from its closest allies, over the safety and well-being of civilians.
At a news conference in Washington on Monday, Vedant Patel, a spokesman for the US State Department, pointed out that Rafah is an important conduit for humanitarian aid and a place where Americans and other foreign citizens have been able to leave Gaza and enter Egypt. He also noted that more than 1 million people are sheltered there.
“So of course we would want any operation conducted in that region to take that into account,” he said.
Israel invaded Gaza after Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped another 240 in a cross-border attack on October 7, Israeli officials said. Since then, more than 27,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel's military campaign, according to Israel's Health Ministry.
Israel has said its forces will continue fighting in Gaza until Hamas is defeated and the remaining hostages, believed to be more than 100, are released.
As the toll of the war has mounted, American diplomats have tried to broker some sort of reprieve in the fighting, including by taking Mr Blinken on repeated tours of the region.
As of Monday evening, the United States had nothing to publicly announce regarding a hostage situation and a ceasefire. Hamas-affiliated broadcaster Al-Aqsa reported on Sunday that the group was still considering the proposal a week after it was formulated.
In Saudi Arabia, the Biden administration also hopes to push the country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, a long-term goal that the United States considers important for stabilizing the Middle East.
Under a proposed deal, the United States would offer Saudi Arabia a defense treaty, help with a civilian nuclear program and increase arms sales, while the Saudis and Americans would theoretically get Israel to accept terms for concrete steps toward the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for recognition by Saudi Arabia.
But even as much of the world urged Israel to ease humanitarian aid in Gaza, the United Nations turned to an investigation into the main aid agency for Palestinians in the area, prompted by Israel's accusation that twelve employees of the organization had joined the October 7 attack or its aftermath. .
On Monday, the United Nations appointed Catherine Colonna, a former French foreign minister, to lead a review of the organization UNRWA. Israel's accusation prompted at least 12 countries, including the United States and Germany, the two largest donors, to suspend funding for the agency.
The review will “assess whether the agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious violations when they are made,” the UN said.
Leily Nikounazar, Michael D. Shear And Aaron Bokserman reporting contributed.