Blinken Discusses 'Israel's Right to Defend Itself' With Herzog

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Avid amid the escalation of Israeli attacks and bombings against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

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This is his third visit to Israel since the occupation forces began incessant bombing and military operations against Palestinian territories on Oct. 7.

Blinken is expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to "discuss Israel's right to defend itself."

"We are thinking every moment of our hostages. So many Israelis, Americans and other citizens, and we are determined to do everything we can to bring them back, safe and sound," he said during a meeting with Herzog.

Previously, Blinken announced that he will work with regional leaders to prevent the spread of the conflict to the rest of the Middle East countries.

"We are determined to avoid escalation on any of these fronts, whether in southern Lebanon, the West Bank or anywhere else in the region," Blinken said ahead of leaving for a tour that includes Jordan and Türkiye.

Since October 7, the offensive of the Israeli occupation military forces on Gaza has left 23,500 people injured and over 9,257 Palestinians dead, including 3,826 children and 2,405 women.

Currently, incessant and indiscriminate Israeli shelling has destroyed most of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza, where many hospitals have collapsed due to the increasing number of victims and the shortage of drinking water, food, electricity and fuel.