Senior US officials are heading to the Middle East in a renewed push by the Biden administration to resolve the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, reports CNN.
The officials also will try to deter an Iranian response to Israel’s strikes last week.
White House officials Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk will be in Israel Thursday for discussions about Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, and the hostages and “other regional matters,” a US official told the media.
Separately, CIA Director Bill Burns will be in Cairo, the official and another source familiar said, while CENTCOM Commander Erik Kurilla is traveling to the region “to discuss regional defense,” the US official said.
The visits follow devastating Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon this week, including an attack in Beit Lahiya that the State Department called “horrifying.”
Iran is planning to carry out a “definitive and painful” response to Israeli strikes before the US election, a high-ranking source told CNN, in a departure from Tehran’s initial attempt to downplay the severity of the attacks. The White House said Iran should not respond, but the US was ready to assist Israel’s defense.
Ceasefire optimism
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said he feels optimistic for a potential Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire to be struck “within the next few hours or days,” after speaking with US envoy Hochstein by phone.
Earlier, Israel and the White House downplayed a reported ceasefire draft proposal circulating in Israeli media.
Bd-Pratidin English/ Afsar Munna
