2024-04-30 12:35:47
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman today in Riyadh, where the two discussed the urgent need to reduce tensions in the Middle East region, the US State Department said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
Blinken stressed that it is necessary to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza and to achieve an immediate ceasefire that would guarantee the release of Israelis held hostage by the Palestinian Islamist movement “Hamas” and prevent the expansion of the conflict, writes BTA.
Anthony Blinken’s visit to Saudi Arabia is part of his Middle East tour, during which he is discussing with the US’s Arab partners what a post-war Gaza will look like. Another goal of the tour, according to Reuters, is to put pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, as requested by US President Joe Biden this month.