US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who arrived in Jordan, held talks with Lebanese interim prime minister Najib Mikati and the foreign ministers of Egypt and Qatarreports the BBC.
In a meeting with Lebanon’s interim prime minister, Najib Mikati, Blinken said he “shared deep concern” about shelling along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel and stressed that the conflict between Israel and Hamas must not spread to other territories.
Blinken also thanked Mikati for his efforts to keep Lebanon from falling into war and for working with regional partners to “ensure lasting and sustainable peace in the region,” Secretary of State spokesman Matthew Miller said.
In Tel Aviv on Friday, Blinken failed to persuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare a humanitarian pause in the fighting to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, he will leave for Turkey on a two-day visit. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he was cutting off all contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Pentagon: We managed to avoid an expansion of the conflict in the Middle East
This remains the main goal of the US in the region at this time
Tags: Blinken met Arab representatives Amman
