The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Abu Dhabi for the latest leg of his Middle East tour. It comes as fears grow that Israel's war in Gaza may spill into the wider region, after one of Hamas' senior leaders was killed last week. 

Abu Dhabi

Israel and Iran have agreed a ceasefire after a twelve day conflict. Meanwhile, Israel strikes in Gaza continue with the humanitarian crisis deepening.

Middle East Conflict

Blinken on fourth Middle East tour in three months

After last week's bombing of southern Beirut, and the killing of a senior Hamas leader, the risk of Israel's ruthless war on Gaza spilling over is at an all-time high. Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah has fired dozens of rockets to Israel in retaliation for the escalation, and a larger threat of Iranian involvement looms large. This has prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to embark on a fourth tour of the Middle East in three months. On Sunday, Blinken was in the Jordanian capital Amman, where he met King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. The state secretary held talks with Israel and Palestine's next-door neighbors, and toured one of the World Food Program's warehouses tasked with distributing aid to Gaza. He then jetted off to Qatar, where he continued his high-level talks. He stressed the importance of containing the violence, and rejected statements from Israeli lawmakers which would further root tensions. This is a conflict that could easily catastrophize, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering. So, from day one, among other priorities, we have been intensely focused on working to prevent the conflict from spreading. We reject the statements by some Israeli ministers and lawmakers calling for a resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza. These statements are irresponsible, they're inflammatory. Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had some words of his own following Blinken's remarks in Doha. We are not stopping the war until victory, until we achieve all of our goals. The elimination of Hamas, the return of all our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel. I say this to both our enemies and our friends. This is our responsibility, and this is our commitment. Every other consideration must be set aside. Meanwhile, Qatar's Prime and Foreign Minister, Mohamed bin Abd al-Rahman al-Thani, shed some notes of optimism that an agreement may be imminent. The senior leader of Hamas being killed is something that can affect such a complicated process. Yet, we are not giving up, we are moving forward, we are continuing our discussions with the parties, and trying to achieve as soon as possible an agreement that can bring a ceasefire and humanitarian relief and the release of the hostages. Blinken arrived in Abu Dhabi late on Sunday where he will meet UAE leaders. He will then go to Saudi Arabia for more diplomatic talks before he ends his Monday with a late night flight to Israel. Malek Vooda, TRT World.

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Rescues continue in central Texas after deadly flash floods

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Middle East Conflict