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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is making another visit to the Middle East – his fifth trip to the region since 7th October. He reached Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia today. Mr Blinken is expected to meet the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, before meeting his Saudi counterpart, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud.
Ahead of his trip, Mr Blinken had stressed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza must be addressed urgently. He is expected to discuss boosting aid to Gaza, a possible ceasefire, and maybe push for a hostage deal.
The visit follows US air strikes against Iran-backed forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen – following an attack on a US base in Jordan that had killed three US soldiers.