Jordan reminds US of role when welcoming Secretary of State Blinken, Israeli Prime Minister warns Hezbollah to "learn a lesson"

On January 7, the US Secretary of State met with senior Jordanian government officials while visiting the country as part of a week-long Middle East trip aimed at finding ways to prevent the Hamas-Israel conflict from spreading to the region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the WFP's regional relief coordination warehouse in Jordan's capital Amman on January 7. (Source: AP)

Reuters reported that on the evening of January 6, Mr. Blinken arrived in Jordan and met with King Abdullah II and his counterpart Ayman Safadi of the host country.

Receiving Secretary of State Blinken, King Abdullah II said that the US played an important role in urging Israel to join the ceasefire agreement immediately and warned of dire consequences if the Hamas-Israel conflict continued.

Meanwhile, according to an announcement from the Jordanian Foreign Ministry , during his meeting with his US counterpart, Foreign Minister Safadi emphasized the need to immediately stop escalating tensions as well as protect civilians in the Gaza Strip, and provide appropriate and long-term humanitarian and medical support to the strip.

In addition, Jordanian media reported that Mr. Blinken also visited the World Food Program (WFP) regional relief goods coordination warehouse in the capital Amman. After leaving Jordan, the US Secretary of State will travel to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Speaking before arriving in Jordan, Mr. Blinken said that the situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon was really worrying, where there had been daily fighting even before the above airstrike.

The US Secretary of State affirmed that Washington wants to do everything to ensure that tensions do not escalate and avoid an endless spiral of violence.

Mr. Blinken also hopes that relevant countries will find ways to restrain and avoid spreading conflicts through connections, using influence and relationships with tense parties.

In addition, the US also wants to mobilize allies to prevent Houthi forces in Yemen from carrying out attacks in the Red Sea against ships heading to or trading with Israel.

This week, Israel's defense minister proposed the creation of a US-led multinational task force, along with European Union (EU) and regional partners, to jointly take responsibility for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, with Israel continuing to maintain its freedom of action in the strip.

Mr. Blinken is expected to urge hesitant Muslim countries to prepare to contribute to the reconstruction, governance and security of the Gaza Strip.

During the visit, the US delegation will gather Arab views on the future of the Gaza Strip before presenting its views to Israel, believing that there are huge differences between the parties that do not share the same views.

"We are determined to protect our citizens and return them safely to their homes on the northern border… If we can, we will do it through diplomatic means, and if not, we will act in other ways." - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The US diplomat's visit to the Middle East comes amid escalating tensions in the region since the beginning of the week, after Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri was killed in an airstrike on a Hezbollah base in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

On January 6, Hezbollah announced that it had fired more than 60 rockets at an Israeli military base in response to the airstrike that killed Aruri. The Israeli military also said it detected 40 rockets fired from Lebanese territory and that it also carried out airstrikes in response.

Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah to "learn a lesson from Hamas", affirming that the country is "determined to protect its citizens and bring them safely home to the northern border".

Diplomatic measures will be given priority, but "if not, we will act in another way," the leader said.

The Israeli leader reiterated that the military's war in the Gaza Strip will not stop until its goals are achieved, including eliminating Hamas, returning hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel's security.

Not only Hezbollah, the Houthi forces in Yemen also made moves on the Red Sea to put pressure on Israel to support the Palestinians.

Violence has also escalated in the West Bank, with hundreds of Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers and settlers in recent weeks. Security forces have made thousands of arrests of Palestinians.

On January 7, Israel killed six Palestinian gunmen who attacked Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Earlier, Palestinian gunmen attacked with explosive devices in the West Bank city of Jenin, killing one Israeli border police officer and injuring others, Israeli police said.

According to the Gaza Health Authority, since the conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, to January 7, at least 22,835 people have been killed and more than 58,400 injured in the Gaza Strip. In the past 24 hours alone, fighting has killed 113 people.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trung-dong-jordan-nhac-nho-vai-tro-cua-my-khi-don-ngoai-truong-blinken-thu-tuong-israel-canh-bao-hezbollah-rut-ra-bai-hoc-256552.html