Washington, DC [US]: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday held talks with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, offering condolences for the lives lost in the Hamas terror attacks.
He reiterated US support for Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens against terrorist attacks.
Taking to X, Blinken posted, “I spoke with Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs @AmbDermer to reiterate our profound condolences for the terrorist attack on Israel. I reiterated our support for Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens against terrorist attacks.”
Notably, Blinken is all set to travel to Israel “to engage our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground”, the US said on Tuesday.
“Secretary of State Antony J Blinken will travel to Israel and Jordan October 11-13, 2023, where he will meet with senior officials,” the State Department informed through a statement.
Blinken will also “reiterate his condolences for the victims of the terrorist attacks against Israel”.
He also condemned those attacks in the strongest terms, the statement added.
“The Secretary will also reaffirm the United States’ solidarity with the government and the people of Israel,” the statement added.
Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the State Department, Matthew Miller said, “I’d like to announce that Secretary Blinken will be travelling to Israel in the coming days to engage our Israeli partners directly about the situation on the ground and how we can continue to best support them in their fight against the terrorists who launched these horrific attacks.”
“Our support for Israel is unwavering, and the Secretary looks forward to meeting with senior leaders in the Israeli Government and continuing the discussions he and the President have been having with them since the initial attacks on Saturday,” he added.
Meanwhile, the first plane carrying US armaments landed in southern Israel on Tuesday evening, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.”The first plane carrying US armaments has since arrived at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel this evening,” posted IDF on X.
However, the IDF did not reveal the kind of weapons or military equipment it received.
As the ongoing war on Hamas raged on, the Biden administration began delivering munitions to Israel this week. In the post shared on X, IDF further stated, “The cooperation between our militaries is a key part of ensuring regional security and stability in times of war.”
Over 1,000 Israelis have been killed, more than 2,800 injured and 50 are confirmed to have been taken hostage or missing since Hamas launched rocket attacks and a ground assault on Saturday, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
According to IDF, over 4,500 rockets have been fired from Gaza so far into Israel.
On the other side, over 770 Palestinians have also been killed in air raids after Israel launched a fierce counter-offensive.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said at least 770 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded in the Israeli air raids.
Among the dead are 140 children and 120 women, a ministry spokesperson said.
