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U.S. Secretary
of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said he held a "Very Productive"
meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh.
This is said to
be a critical diplomatic engagement as Israel prepared to launch a ground
assault in the Palestinian Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and as we know that
Washington is working to contain the conflict.
"Very
productive," Blinken replied to a question from a Reuters reporter as he
returned to the hotel where the U.S. delegation was staying.
A U.S. official
said the meeting lasted for just under an hour and took place at the Crown
Prince's private farm residence.
According to
the State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller "The Secretary
highlighted the United States' unwavering focus on halting terrorist attacks by
Hamas, securing the release of all hostages, and preventing the conflict from
spreading,"
"The two
affirmed their shared commitment to protecting civilians and to advancing
stability across the Middle East and beyond," Miller added.
The top U.S.
diplomat's meeting on Sunday with the Kingdom's de-facto ruler comes as the
region is on the brink of a further escalation with Gaza, a small coastal
enclave home to 2.3 million Palestinians, bracing for Israel's ground
offensive.
Why Blinken’s Middle East Visit is Important?
Blinken has
embarked on his most extensive trip to date to the Middle East in order to work
with Arab allies in order to prevent the war from spiralling into a wider
conflict and help secure the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas militants.
Israel has
vowed to annihilate the militant group Hamas in retaliation for a rampage by
its fighters in Israeli towns eight days ago in which its militants shot men,
women and children and seized hostages in the worst attack on civilians in the
country's history.
Blinken started
his tour on Thursday in Israel, voicing robust U.S. support for Washington's
closest Middle East ally in its war against Hamas.
Since then, he
has visited Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia. He made a brief visit to the
United Arab Emirates and returned to Riyadh to meet the Crown Prince late on
Saturday, although the meeting only materialized on Sunday morning.
He is expected
to travel to Egypt later on Sunday.
Blinken on
Saturday met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan in Riyadh. Before
their meeting, Blinken said protecting civilians on both sides of the conflict
was vital.
"And we're
working together to do exactly that, in particular working on establishing safe
areas in Gaza, working on establishing corridors so that humanitarian
assistance can reach people who need it.
Iran’s Warning!
Late on
Saturday, Iran warned of "far-reaching consequences" if Israel's
bombardment was not stopped.
Israel and Lebanese Confrontation
Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government also told the militant group Hezbollah
in Lebanon, which neighbours Israel to the north, not to start a war on a
second front, threatening the "destruction of Lebanon" if it did.
Causalities Noted
Gaza
authorities have said that more than 2,300 people had been killed, a quarter of
them children, and nearly 10,000 wounded.
Rescue workers
searched desperately for survivors of nighttime air raids. One million people
had reportedly left their homes.
(Courtesy: Reuters)
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