Blinken plans second Israel visit amid concerns of escalation in Middle East

Bloomberg reported the information.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who traveled to Israel last week, will return to the country for a few hours on October 16 before returning to Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

The second visit was prompted by Israel's intentions to launch a military operation that could lead to a full-scale ground invasion of the Gaza Strip following attacks by Hamas militants.

Blinken made a diplomatic sprint as he crisscrossed the Middle East with stops in Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The United States is calling on Arab partners to put pressure on Hamas and prevent Iranian-backed militant groups, such as Lebanese Hezbollah, from interfering in the conflict.

On October 15, Iran warned against further Israeli attacks on Gaza, while providing Hamas with funds and training, but denying any involvement in Hamas' attack on Israel.

"No one can guarantee control over the situation and prevent the conflict from spreading," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said during a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha.

• On October 12, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to personally assess the situation in the country after the Hamas attack.

• On Friday, after his short trip to Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, the capital of Jordan.

• On October 14, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia. This is his fifth stop on a six-nation tour of Arab countries, during which he is trying to prevent the conflict between Hamas and Israel from spreading to the Middle East region.