Blinken heads back to the Middle East amid attacks in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq

 Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading back to the Middle East as the Biden administration grapples with a region that has become increasingly tense and unstable since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

Blinken's visit to the region will be his fourth in three months and comes amid attacks in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, threatening wider conflict as well as disrupting commercial shipping and international trade routes. Used to be.

The State Department said Blinken will visit Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank and Egypt.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, "We do not expect that every interaction on this trip will be easy." "There are clearly difficult issues facing the region and difficult choices ahead. But the Secretary believes the United States has a responsibility to lead diplomatic efforts to address those challenges, and he looks forward to doing so in the coming days." Are ready for it."

Blinken left as international criticism continues over Israel's operations in Gaza, and US lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle have expressed concerns to President Biden about the end game.

His visit comes just days after the death of Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri in a suspected Israeli attack in the Lebanese capital Beirut. While the White House said "no one should shed tears" over the death, it could further complicate Blinken's mission.

Blinken will bring Gaza-specific priorities for Israel, including pressing for additional humanitarian aid to Gaza, urging less intense military operations in the region, and reducing violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The State Department said it would also seek regional assistance to pacify the broader region.

"It is in no one's interest for this conflict to spread beyond Gaza, not Israel, not the region, not the world," Miller said.

Key elements of preventing a broader conflict include preventing attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on commercial Red Sea shipping, preventing attacks on Israel by Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, and attacks on U.S. military facilities and interests by Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Including stopping. And Syria.

There have been at least 121 attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17, according to a US defense official, including three in the last 48 hours.