US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s diplomatic marathon in the Middle East continues as Washington seeks to avert a wider regional conflict amid growing Arab anger over Israel’s attack on Gaza.

The Biden administration, while remaining the strongest supporter of Israel’s military response to the October 7 Hamas attacks, is increasingly seeking to use its influence in Israel to mitigate the effects of a full-scale siege of Israel with air, ground and sea attacks in Gaza, where 2.3 million citizens live.

As part of diplomatic efforts, Anthony Blinken will travel to Turkey in the shadow of his statements yesterday in which he rejected calls for a ceasefire and Erdogan’s decision to recall its ambassador from Tel Aviv.

Visit to Iraq

On Sunday night, the American Secretary of State paid a visit to Iraq, where US forces in the region are facing a wave of attacks from Iran-allied militias in Iraq and elsewhere.

The US Secretary of State’s surprise visit to Iraq, announced by the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, was not previously disclosed for security reasons.

In the press conference given by the American Foreign Minister, he said that the US “They work hard» to stop the spread of the conflicts and bring the hostages home and at the same time made “very clear” that attacks emanating from militias aligned with Iran are “unacceptable.”

According to Pentagon figures released Friday, between October 17 and November 3, there were approximately 17 attacks in Iraq and 12 in Syria. Nearly 2,500 US troops are deployed in Iraq. Their mission is to advise their Iraqi counterparts in the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group.

Sudani has already condemned these attacks and assured that “investigations” are being carried out to identify the perpetrators.

Today, when he received Blinken, he asked once more “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, noting “the urgent need to contain the crisis and prevent its spread”, according to a statement from his office.

Iraq does not recognize the state of Israel and the Iraqi government is close to Iran, a country that supports the Palestinian Hamas.

Meeting with Abbas

Earlier, in another surprise move, Blinken visited the West Bank where he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

During the meeting, Blinken told the Palestinian president that the U.S. envisions the Palestinian Authority “playing a central role” in governing Gaza after Hamas, in a clear indication that Washington is beginning to outline a scenario for the post-conflict era. .

Abbas, however, said the Palestinian Authority would only take power in Gaza as part of a “comprehensive political solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while repeating calls for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid.

The two discussed efforts to restore calm and stability in the West Bank, including the need to end extremist violence against Palestinians and hold those responsible accountable, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said after the meeting.

The US Secretary of State, before going to Iraq, had made another surprise stop in Cyprus where he met with the president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis and they discussed the initiative of Cyprus regarding the creation of a maritime humanitarian corridor for the provision of humanitarian aid through Cyprus with the final destination being Gaza.