US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders. He is also scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on Friday.
After landing at Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport outside of Tel Aviv, Blinken said in a post on X, "I'm in Israel today to make one thing clear: The United States stands with Israel and its people, and we will always stand — resolutely — against terrorism."
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel in coming days to deliver a message of solidarity and support. He said Blinken will also "talk about what additional resources we can give them”. Over 1,200 people have been killed in Hamas' surprise attack on Israel, which has countered with airstrikes in Gaza in which around 1,100 people have been killed.
The US is extending additional military assistance to the Israeli Defence Force, including ammunition, and interceptors to replenish the Iron Dome. It has also moved a US carrier fleet to the eastern Mediterranean and sending more fighter jets in the region. The United States has also instructed its officials to send a team of hostage rescue experts to assist Israel with hostage retrieval after President Joe Biden confirmed on Tuesday that the US believes that Americans are among dozens of hostages taken by Hamas.
At least 22 US citizens have been killed in the ongoing war. Beyond these deaths, the State Department said at least 17 more Americans remain unaccounted for in the Israel-Palestine conflict in which a handful of US citizens are among the estimated 150 hostages captured by Hamas militants.
