America’s top diplomats are converging on the Middle East as they make a full-court press to prevent the war in the Gaza Strip from sparking a broader, more destabilizing regional conflict.
President Biden has sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken and one of his most trusted White House advisers to the Middle East amid a surge in attacks across the region that have increased the risks of any missteps triggering a larger, unpredictable conflagration.
Iran-backed militants across the region have reacted to the campaign in Gaza with near-daily attacks on Israel from Lebanon, dozens of strikes targeting U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and assaults on commercial ships in the Red Sea from Houthi fighters in Yemen. The groups have vowed to continue their attacks until Israel ends its war in Gaza.
Iran has moved a warship into the Red Sea, where American forces have shot down dozens of Houthi drones and missiles in recent weeks. On Wednesday, the U.S. and 12 key allies issued an ultimatum to Houthi fighters in Yemen to stop their attacks or face severe consequences.
Meanwhile, twin blasts in Iran on Wednesday killed over 80 people at a memorial for an Iranian commander killed in a 2020 U.S. strike, but there was no retaliation in the 24 hours before Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
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