Department of State

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that his forces must avoid inflicting further harm on civilians in Gaza, the State Department said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the Gaza conflict and European security priorities, including Sweden's NATO integration, during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday. 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected to meet the leaders of Greece and Turkey on Saturday at the start of a week-long trip aimed at tamping down tensions that have spiked across the Middle East since Israel's war with Hamas began in October.

Crete will be US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's second of nine stops in his whirlwind trip, mainly to the Middle East, from Jan. 4-11.

Blinken will hold talks with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the latter's family hometown of Hania Saturday, having visited Istanbul Friday.

Day 681 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Jan. 6 that Türkiye is committed to playing "a positive, productive" role for postwar Gaza, as his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, told him that Israel's "increasing aggression" in Gaza is a threat to the region and he called for an immediate ceasefire.

The United States on Thursday added Azerbaijan to a watchlist on religious freedom, following fears for Christian heritage after the country seized back an important enclave from Armenia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to visit the Middle East and Europe from Friday in his fourth trip to the region since the Hamas attacks, as announced by the Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller late Thursday.

Blinken is expected to meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday afternoon at Hania, Crete.

Iran blamed Israel and the United States on Wednesday for twin bomb blasts that killed at least 95 people in the country's south, ripping through a crowd commemorating Revolutionary Guards general Qasem Soleimani four years after his death in a U.S. strike.

The U.S. government on Wednesday announced what it said was the last remaining package of weapons available for Ukraine under existing authorization, with Congress now needing to decide whether to keep supporting Kiev's battle against Russian invasion.