Blinken seeks to maintain US pressure on Israel in high stakes visit as Middle East tensions skyrocket

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be the latest in a long parade of Biden national security officials to meet face to face with the Israeli government when he arrives in Tel Aviv this week for his fifth visit since the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Blinken’s meetings in Israel, one of nine stops on a frenetic, weeklong crisscrossing of the region, are part of what US officials say is a constant effort to stay in touch with – and in front of – Israeli officials in an attempt to keep Israel’s war machine in check as the conflict drags on.