President Joe Biden is ready to arrive in Israel . The visit is scheduled for Wednesday, as anticipated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the end of the meeting in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which lasted seven and a half hours.
With his visit to Israel, Blinken specifies, Biden " will reaffirm the US commitment to the Jewish country and will send a clear message to other groups, namely 'don't attack' ".
He will also talk about military aid for civilians remaining in Gaza , including the possibility of creating safe areas.
He then also stops in Jordan , where he will meet Abu Mazen . The highest-ranking American officer overseeing US forces in the Middle East, General Michael 'Erik' Kurilla, head of the US Central Command (Centcom), has meanwhile already arrived in Israel for a surprise visit, to prevent escalation.
During the night, Benjamin Netanyahu's phone call to Vladimir Putin , in which the Israeli prime minister stated that he has no intention of stopping his offensive in the Gaza Strip until he has eliminated the military and government capabilities of Hamas .
Netanyahu told Putin that Israel was being attacked by “vile and cruel killers” and responded – determined and united – by launching a war against Hamas.
The Russian president , who told Netanyahu that he was ready to work towards a diplomatic solution to the conflict, arrived in China this morning . Yesterday he heard Arab countries calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East.
THE EMERGENCY - In the meantime, Israel continued to bomb Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza tonight: at least 52 dead in the Strip , dozens injured.
Six hundred thousand people have evacuated Gaza but another 100 thousand still live in the city, according to Israel which is preparing the ground invasion. Around 500 thousand Israelis are internally displaced.
(Unioneonline/vl)