Antony Blinken

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Blinken: US Has Been in Touch With HTS in Syria

Secretary of state also says US has a message for the Syrian people: 'We want them to succeed'

(Newser) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that American officials have been in direct contact with the Syrian rebel group that spearheaded the overthrow of President Bashar Assad's government but is designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others. Blinken is the first US official...

Israel Admits It Likely Killed American, by Mistake

Secretary of State Blinken calls for 'fundamental' change in tactics after death of Aysenur Eygi

(Newser) - Israel acknowledged on Tuesday that it was "highly likely" one of its soldiers fired the shot that killed 26-year-old American citizen Aysenur Eygi last week. The development prompted what the Washington Post describes as an unusually harsh criticism of Israeli tactics by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
  • The American:
...

'I Looked at the Window and Saw a Ball of Fire'

Woman dies after Ukraine launches what's said to be largest drone strike on Moscow since war began

(Newser) - Ukraine has reportedly launched its biggest drone attack on the Russian capital since war erupted between the countries two and a half years ago. Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that 144 Ukrainian drones were shot down around the country amid a wave of overnight attacks. "Half were in...

Blinken: Israel Has Agreed to Ceasefire Plan

It's not clear whether Hamas will accept 'bridging proposal'

(Newser) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday that Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. He called on Hamas to do the same. Blinken was on his ninth urgent mission to...

Israeli Troops Push Farther Into Rafah Despite Outcry

Blinken delivers harsher criticism of Gaza offensive

(Newser) - The exodus of Palestinians from Gaza's last refuge accelerated Sunday as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also pounded the territory's devastated north, where some Hamas militants have regrouped in areas the military said it had cleared months ago, the AP reports. Rafah...

Blinken: 'Generous' Offer Is Now in Hands of Hamas

Israel reportedly reduces its demands

(Newser) - Reports about a possible truce in the Israel-Hamas war sound relatively optimistic:
  • In the Mideast, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the current offer on the table for Hamas is "extraordinarily generous." He spoke as Hamas negotiators were speaking with mediators from Egypt and Qatar, reports the
...

US, China Butt Heads at Blinken-Xi Meetup

'I made clear that if China does not address this problem, we will'

(Newser) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials, stressing the importance of "responsibly managing" the differences between the United States and China as the two sides butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional, and global issues. Talks between...

Father Lobbies Blinken During Condolence Call

Suspend aid to Israel, John Flickinger tells secretary of state

(Newser) - Antony Blinken was on the receiving end of a bit of intense lobbying when he made a condolence call to the father of a humanitarian worker killed in Gaza by an Israeli strike. "If the United States threatened to suspend aid to Israel, maybe my son would be alive...

In Marked Shift, US Proposes 'Immediate' Gaza Ceasefire
Russia, China Veto US
Push for Gaza Ceasefire
updated
Mar 22, 2024 8:43 AM CDT

Russia, China Veto US Push for Gaza Ceasefire

Measure fails in the Security Council

(Newser) - The US changed its mind about a Gaza ceasefire on Friday, but to no avail. The UN Security Council voted on a resolution to demand an immediate halt to fighting, but Russia and China vetoed the measure, reports the New York Times . The US had vetoed three previous calls for...

As Crisis Envelops Haiti, PM Steps Down

Ariel Henry will make way for a transitional presidential council amid gang violence

(Newser) - Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced early Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created, bowing to international pressure to save the country overwhelmed by violent gangs that some experts say have unleashed a low-scale civil war. Henry made the announcement hours after officials, including Caribbean...

Blinken Back in Mideast, With Another Tall Order

Secretary of State is pushing for hostage deal and post-war plan amid increasing tensions

(Newser) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday on his fifth visit to the region since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, hoping to press ahead with a potential ceasefire deal and postwar planning while tamping down regional tensions. But on all three fronts he...

Turkey Will Help Limit War, Blinken Says After Erdogan Talk

Diplomat hears another call for an Israel-Hamas cease-fire

(Newser) - Back in the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that the region's nations need to use their clout to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spreading and the fighting becoming "an endless cycle of violence." It's in their self-interest, he said, per Reuters...

Mexico's President Offers Suggestions Before US Talks

Blinken leads delegation to Mexico City for meeting on illegal immigration

(Newser) - A US delegation led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to Mexico City on Wednesday for talks about turning the tide of illegal immigration across the border. The two-hour meeting reflected urgency, and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador pointed out beforehand that the urgency will only increase...

Under Pressure, Israel Won't Put End Date on War

With situation in Gaza worsening, Blinken agrees ending the fighting is up to Israel

(Newser) - Battles raged across Gaza on Sunday as Israel indicated it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat the territory's Hamas rulers, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a cease-fire was fading. Israel faces international outrage after its military offensive, with diplomatic support and arms...

Administration Skirts Congress on Tank Ammunition for Israel

Blinken invokes emergency provision for $106M ammunition deal

(Newser) - The Biden administration is selling 13,000 rounds of tank ammunition to Israel for its war against Hamas, invoking an emergency provision to avoid waiting for the usual congressional review to be completed. A Defense Department agency announced the $106.5 million deal on Saturday. Congressional committees were informed at...

Memo Shows US Diplomats Splitting With Biden on Israel

State Department staff members call for making criticism of military strategy public

(Newser) - A dissent memo circulated by State Department staff members includes blunt criticism of President Biden's diplomatic efforts involving the Israel-Hamas war and proposes the administration make changes. Although it's not clear how many people signed the memo, or what it says in its final form, indications are that...

As US Urges Pause, Israel Strikes 2 More Refugee Camps

Dozens reportedly killed as Blinken continues his third visit since war broke out

(Newser) - Israeli airstrikes hit two refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing at least 53 people including children and wounding dozens in central Gaza, health officials said. The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war surpassed 9,700 with more than 4,000 of them children and minors,...

Blinken Goes to Iraq for Talks
Blinken Goes to Baghdad
Nov 5, 2023 3:55 PM CST

Blinken Goes to Baghdad

Secretary of state takes appeal to limit fighting to Turkey next

(Newser) - After talks in the West Bank on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Iraq on his mission to keep the Israel-Hamas war from spreading—especially to Americans in the Middle East. "It was very important to send a very clear message to anyone who might seek to...

74 More Americans Leave Gaza
74 More
US Citizens
Leave Gaza
Nov 3, 2023 1:00 AM CDT

74 More US Citizens Leave Gaza

Americans with dual citizenship are the latest to leave

(Newser) - President Biden said Thursday that 74 US citizens with dual citizenship have left the Gaza Strip, announcing the development as he dispatched his top diplomat to the Middle East for consultation with Israeli and Jordanian leaders concerning the Israel-Hamas war, the AP reports. "We got out today 74 American...

After Latest Airstrike, Calls for End to Israeli 'War Crimes'

Arab nations condemn Israeli strike on refugee camp as groups claim use of white phosphorus

(Newser) - Dozens of people entered the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt on Wednesday in what appeared to be the first time foreign passport holders have been allowed to leave the besieged territory since the start of the Israel-Hamas war more than three weeks ago, the AP reports. Egyptian state-run media...

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