Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel this week, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Tuesday, in a show of US diplomatic support after the assault by Hamas that killed more than 1,000 Israelis and sparked a new war in the Middle East.
The high-level visit is a relatively fast trip by the top US diplomat after the outbreak of a conflict, and comes just days after Israel declared war following the attack on Saturday, which Israel President Isaac Herzog called the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
The attack by Hamas — which included thousands of rockets into Israeli neighborhoods and at least 1,500 Hamas militants storming across the border and killing and abducting civilians and soldiers — has also claimed the lives of at least 14 American citizens, the State Department said.
As the US military moved an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, Blinken has been calling counterparts around the world in an attempt to bolster support for Israel.
The US is also trying to deter Iran from encouraging militants, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, from taking advantage of the situation and complicating Israel’s military response. Israel has undertaken widespread airstrikes in Gaza, where Hamas is based.
