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Antony Blinken
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Thursday his Cabinet won't meet to approve the agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages until Hamas backs down, accusing the group of reneging on parts of the agreement in an attempt to gain further concessions. His office did not elaborate. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 72 people since the ceasefire deal was announced, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy Israeli bombardment overnight as people were celebrating the ceasefire deal. In previous conflicts, both sides have stepped up military operations in the final hours before ceasefires go into effect as a way to project strength. Under the deal expected to begin Sunday, 33 hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second ..
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a last-minute case Tuesday for a plan for the post-war reconstruction and governance of Gaza as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears tantalisingly close to completion. Blinken will tout the proposal, which has been in the works for a year, and discuss the importance of ensuring its success after the Biden administration leaves office in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the speech. The official said the Gaza plan is just one part of the speech, which will also cover other areas of the administration's Middle East policy, including Iran and potential normalisation of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Blinken and his top aides have spent months trying to sell Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Gulf Arab nations on the plan, which outlines how Gaza would be run without Hamas in charge, details reconstruction priorities
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas is very close and he hopes we can get it over the line before handing over US diplomacy to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. In area after area, we're handing off, in some cases, things that we haven't been able to complete but that create real opportunities to move things forward in a better way, he said on a stop in Paris for meetings. Blinken said that even if the Biden administration's plans for a ceasefire and hostage deal don't come to fruition before Trump's inauguration, he thinks they'll be put into practice afterward. I believe that when we get that deal - and we'll get that deal - it will be on the basis of the plans that President Biden put before the world, he said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on what is expected to be his final overseas trip in office this weekend, travelling to South Korea, Japan and France. The State Department announced Friday that Blinken would visit Seoul, Tokyo and Paris beginning Sunday. He will return to Washington early Thursday in time to attend the funeral services for former president Jimmy Carter, officials said. In South Korea, which is in the midst of a political turmoil following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Japan, Blinken intends to highlight the expansion of US cooperation with both nations as part of the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy. That strategy is primarily intended to blunt Chinese ambitions in the region but also to deter the nuclear threat from North Korea. Political developments in South Korea, however, after Yoon declared martial law and was later impeached, have raised questions about the stability of Washington-Seoul relations. The US has tak
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up perhaps his last Middle East as America's top diplomat, with the aim of preventing Syria from spiralling out of control after the sudden ouster of President Bashar Assad. Blinken was one of several senior U.S. officials travelling across the region in the Biden administration's final weeks amid deep uncertainty in Washington and abroad over how Donald Trump will approach the Mideast when he takes office on Jan. 20, 2025. Blinken held meetings Jordan, Turkey and Iraq with the aim of trying to shape the future of post-Assad Syria by forging consensus among regional partners and allies whose interests often diverge. We know that what happens inside of Syria can have powerful consequences well beyond its borders, from mass displacement to terrorism," he told reporters Saturday in Aqaba, Jordan. "And we know that we can't underestimate the challenges of this moment. Here are some takeaways from Blinken's trip: Charting a new course
Top diplomats from the United States, the Arab League and Turkey met in Jordan on Saturday to discuss how to assist Syria 's transition after the fall of Bashar Assad's government a week ago. No Syrian representatives attended. The collapse of the Assad family's more than half-century of rule has sparked new fears of instability in a region already shaken by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and hostilities between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah despite a tenuous ceasefire. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian insurgent group that led the overthrow of Assad's government, but the group continues to be designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. The insurgent leader in an interview with Syrian TV didn't mention contact with the US, but he warned Israel about the hundreds of airstrikes it has carried out in Syria in the past week. The US is also making a renewed push for a ceasefire
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the overthrow of President Bashar Assad's government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. Blinken is the first US official to publicly confirm contacts between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led a coalition of armed opposition groups that ousted Assad from power last Sunday. Speaking at a news conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken would not discuss details of the contacts but said it was important for the US to convey messages to the group about its conduct and how it intends to govern in a transition period. Yes, we have been in contact with HTS and with other parties, Blinken said. He added that our message to the Syrian people is this: We want them to succeed and we're prepared to help them do so. HTS, which was once an affiliate of al-Qaida, has been ...
The United States and India are stronger when they work together, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken has said. Blinken made the remarks in a post on X after meeting India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Fiuggi, Italy on Tuesday. "The US and India are stronger when we are working together. Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and I met today in Italy to discuss the importance of our continued close cooperation to promote global security and prosperity," Blinken said. He also shared a picture from the meeting. Jaishankar also posted about the meeting on X and said he discussed the state of the world and the India-US partnership, which continues to move forward, with Blinken. After the meeting, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "The United States desires to continue coordinating closely with India to address global security challenges." During the meeting, Blinken and Jaishankar affirmed the US and India's .
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussed the state of the world and the India-US partnership, which continues to move forward. The 69-year-old union minister, who is in Italy on an official visit from November 24-26 to participate in the Outreach session of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, met Blinken in Fiuggi. "Always good to meet @SecBlinken, this time in Fiuggi, Italy. Discussed the state of the world and India-US partnership, which continues to move forward," he said in a post on X. Earlier, the external affairs minister met South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. Pleasure to meet @FMChoTaeyul of RoK at the G7 FMM in Fiuggi. Value our conversation on the global situation, he posted on X. On Monday, Jaishankar met his counterparts from several countries, including the UK, France and Ukraine, and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in multiple sectors as well as regional and international developments.