Blinken's Middle East tour was aimed at resolving the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip. The publication notes that the current refusal "does not mean that Zelensky will not come to Israel at all." According to the agency's assessment, such a trip could take place later and could be combined with one of the Ukrainian president's subsequent European tours.
The Middle East tour of the US Secretary of State kicked off with an initial visit to Israel on October 12. He then arrived in Jordan and from there traveled to Qatar. Afterward, Blinken visited Bahrain and then Saudi Arabia.
15 October 2023, 21:48 GMT
On October 7, the Palestinian militant organization, Hamas, executed an unexpected assault on Israeli soil, unleashing a relentless salvo of rockets that took the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) by surprise. In response, the Israeli government initiated operation Swords of Iron and invoked Article 40 of their Basic Law, effectively signaling a declaration of war.