Blinken warns Israel-Gaza war could ‘easily metastasise’ as he meets Arab leaders in push to ease conflict in Middle East
- Blinken, making his fourth trip to the region since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, said that it could ‘easily’ turn into a full-blown Middle East conflict
- The US diplomat said Israel must do more to protect civilians and reiterated US calls for a lasting peace that included the creation of a Palestinian state
The US’s top diplomat warned the Israel-Gaza war could “easily” turn into a full-blown Middle East conflict, as he travels across the region to calm tensions and urge Israel to do more to protect civilians in Gaza.
Fighting in Gaza continues to rage, with Israeli jets pounding the Palestinian enclave and its ground troops targeting Hamas commanders. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon are mounting, with near-daily skirmishes between the two and Hamas blaming Israel of assassinating a senior leader in Beirut last week.
Red Sea shipping attacks by the Houthis have, meanwhile, led the US and its allies to contemplate striking targets in Yemen, where the Iran-backed rebels are based.
“This is a moment of profound tension in the region,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday evening in the Qatari capital of Doha.
“This is a conflict that could easily metastasise, causing even more insecurity and even more suffering.”
Qatar, which maintains ties with Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and the European Union, has played a central mediation role in the conflict. It’s helped broker the release of more than 100 Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
The Gulf state’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, called for a broad ceasefire to end the violence in Gaza, echoing many leaders across the Arab world. Israel and the US reject that, arguing it would allow Hamas to regroup and eventually launch more attacks like the one on October 7 that killed about 1,200 Israelis.