WASHINGTON, United States
US 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 US 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, US officials had
said they expected Thursday’s talks to continue as planned.
Also on Tuesday, Blinken
approved the possible sale to Israel of fighter jets and other military
equipment worth over $20 billion, the Pentagon said.
In a statement, the Pentagon
said Blinken approved the possible sale of F-15 jets and equipment worth nearly
$19 billion. He also approved the possible sale of tank cartridges worth around
$774 million and army vehicles worth $583 million, the Pentagon said.
The tank rounds would be
almost immediately available for delivery. The Boeing Co. F-15 fighter jets
would take years to produce and deliver.
The US has staunchly supported
Israel as its top Middle East ally prosecutes a war in the Gaza Strip that has
devastated the Palestinian enclave. The war was set off by the militant group
Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.
While approving weapons to
Israel, Washington has also tried to arrange a ceasefire deal in Gaza that
would potentially stave off a wider Middle East war.
Fears of a broader war have
increased since the recent killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and
Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut. Both drew threats of
retaliation against Israel.
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