The United States State Department announced in a statement that Secretary Antony Blinken emphasized the need to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to avoid escalating the conflict in the region during a phone call with his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani on Wednesday.
According to the statement from the U.S. State Department, the ministers discussed the threats to global interests in light of the continuing attacks by the Houthi group on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea.
The Italian newspaper "ANSA" reported that Tajani assured his American counterpart that freedom of navigation in the Red Sea is a top priority for Italy during its presidency of the G7 group for the year 2024.
Expressing solidarity with Gaza, which has been experiencing a devastating war since October 7, 2023, with American support, the Houthi group has launched missile and drone attacks on Red Sea cargo ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying goods to and from Israel.
In response to the Houthi attacks, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced an initiative on December 18th, called "Prosperity Guardian" to "deter attacks in the Red Sea".
Blinken Postpones Visit to Israel
According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, Blinken announced on Tuesday the postponement of his upcoming visit to Israel on Thursday following the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.
The newspaper stated that the American Secretary of State's visit to Israel has been rescheduled to the following Monday.
CNN reported that Blinken acknowledged internal disagreements within the State Department regarding President Joe Biden's administration's supportive approach to Israel in its war on Gaza, in an email to staff dated November 13.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a destructive war on Gaza, which has resulted in the martyrdom of 22,185 Palestinians and injuries to 57,035 others, mostly children and women, as of last Tuesday. The war has also caused massive destruction to infrastructure and has led to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, according to Palestinian and international reports.
