In the Second Stop of His Middle East Trip, Antony Blinken Visited Egypt

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, arrived in Egypt on Tuesday as part of his regional tour and met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. According to CNN, Abbas Kamel, the head of Egypt's intelligence services, was also present at the meeting. Egypt is the second stop for Blinken on his latest trip to the Middle East. This is his fifth visit to the region since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. Blinken made a brief stop in Saudi Arabia on Monday. He is also scheduled to visit Qatar, Israel, and the West Bank during this trip, which will last until February 8. Antony Blinken and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed 'regional coordination' to end the war in Gaza and plans for the war-torn strip after the conflict. This trip comes amid U.S. retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militants in Syria and Iraq. The U.S. has conducted a series of airstrikes on centers and bases of Iran's proxy groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria and Iraq since early Saturday local time. According to the U.S. President, this is the first phase of a series of attacks that will follow the deaths of three American soldiers and injuries to more than 40 others in Jordan. Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, stated on Sunday that humanitarian issues in Gaza are the primary focus of Antony Blinken's visit to the region.