Blinken Postpones Middle East Trip amid ‘Uncertainty,’ Axios Reports

Reuters

14:05 JST, August 14, 2024

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to the Middle East, delaying his planned Tuesday departure, Axios reported ahead of planned Gaza ceasefire talks this week.

The top U.S. diplomat’s travel was delayed over “uncertainty about the situation,” Axios said, citing two unnamed sources.

On Tuesday, Hamas fired two rockets aimed at Tel Aviv for the first time in months while Israel launched separate deadly airstrikes in Gaza. On Monday, U.S. officials had said they expected Thursday’s talks to continue as planned.