TEL AVIV — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli leaders confronted each other on Friday about the future of the war in Gaza, as the top U.S. diplomat urged Israel not to invade a city packed with civilians, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly declared that “we’ll do it by ourselves.” The tense … Read more
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he will share alternatives to Israel’s planned ground assault into the southern Gaza town of Rafah when he meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his War Cabinet on Friday. Blinken and Arab leaders on Thursday discussed efforts for a cease-fire and ideas for Gaza’s post-conflict future during … Read more
CAIRO — Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism Thursday that a deal to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip and free hostages held there would eventually be reached, but he said he intends to deliver a tough message to Israeli leaders that a potential invasion of the packed city of Rafah would be a … Read more
DOHA, Qatar — Starkly different visions of how to end the war in Gaza are at the center of thorny and slow-moving negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha this week, with officials warning that a deal to halt the fighting and release some hostages could be weeks away, or upended entirely if Israel moves … Read more
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a quick stop in Israel on Friday, according to the State Department, as the Biden administration pushes Israeli leaders to take a pinpoint approach to battling Hamas in the packed city of Rafah in southern Gaza to avoid what it warns could be humanitarian catastrophe. Tensions … Read more
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday began his sixth trip to the Middle East since the eruption of conflict between Israel and Hamas, his latest bid to compel Israel to ease its assault on the battered territory and identify a post-conflict plan that could lead to a Palestinian state. State … Read more
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel this week as part of his sixth urgent mission to the Middle East since the Israelis’ war with Hamas began in October, as relations between the two countries have soured dramatically in recent weeks. The visit comes amid a flurry of … Read more
MANILA, Philippines — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will underscore Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to its alliance with the Philippines on Tuesday, as clashes between Chinese and Filipino forces in the disputed South China Sea turn more hostile, the U.S. State Department said. Blinken, the latest high-level official to visit the U.S. treaty ally, met his … Read more
North Korea launched ballistic missiles early Monday morning local time, marking the first such test in about a month. The missiles flew approximately 200 miles from Pyongyang and landed in the waters off of North Korea’s east coast between the Korean peninsula and Japan, according to South Korean officials. The Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida … Read more
KINGSTON, Jamaica — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to meet Monday with Caribbean leaders in Jamaica as part of an urgent push to solve Haiti’s spiraling crisis, while pressure grows on Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign or agree to a transitional council. It was not clear if Henry, locked out of … Read more