Antony Blinken returns to the Middle East to try to ease tensions after death of top Hamas official

The death of Saleh Arouri, the number 2 of Hamas who would have been affected by an Israeli bombing in Lebanon, raised the temperature in the Middle East. The event unleashed substantial threats from Iran and Hezbollah towards the West, prompting a lightning trip by Antony Blinken to try to ease tensions a little.

The Secretary of State will land in a variety of countries in the region, among which, of course, is Israel, which is still at war with Hamas. The official will visit the West Bank, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Greece.

According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, the trip will also seek to increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip while addressing the region's future once the war ends.

The Israel-Lebanon border could witness an escalation of violence at any time. Following the alleged Israeli bombing in Beirut, Hasan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, assured that Israel would face "a response and punishment" for the attack.

Added to his threats were those of Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, who chose to express himself through his X account, formerly known as Twitter. "Enemies must know that, with God's permission, the authors of this tragedy will receive a forceful response," he wrote.

"It is in no one's interest, not Israel's, not the region's, not the world's, for this conflict to spread beyond Gaza," said Miller in this regard. He also gave a preview of a possible exit from Gaza after the war.

"We will discuss the need for combined governance that unites the West Bank and Gaza under Palestinian leadership, but what the specifics look like I will keep for private diplomatic conversations," added the State Department spokesperson.

Finally, the official made it clear that Blinken is aware that his attempt to ease tensions in the Middle East will not be easy. "We don't expect every conversation on this trip to be easy," he concluded.

Another problem plaguing the region is the Red Sea is witnessing attacks on commercial ships by the Houthis, a Shiite group in Yemen accused of being backed by Iran.

The latest news in this regard came last Wednesday when the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Bahrain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom signed a joint letter to warn the Houthis to cease their hostilities or assume the "consequences" of their acts.