U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday as part of his tour of the Middle East. The visit comes as Blinken aims to deescalate tensions in the region following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Prior to his visit to Iraq, Blinken traveled to the West Bank and met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. In Iraq, he met with Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hamas and the importance of preventing its spread. They also discussed the need for continued coordination to address humanitarian needs in the region. Blinken emphasized the importance of holding accountable those responsible for attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq and fulfilling Iraq’s commitment to protect U.S. installations. He reiterated that the United States will take necessary steps to protect its personnel in response to attacks from militias aligned with Iran.
The United States has recently deployed additional troops to both Iraq and Syria amidst attacks on U.S. forces and the Israel conflict. Iranian-backed terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah issued a warning ahead of Blinken’s visit, indicating a possible escalation of tensions. Rocket and drone attacks on U.S. and coalition troops have increased in Iraq and Syria since the Hamas attacks in Gaza. Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran have threatened to target U.S. interests with missiles and drones if the United States intervenes to support Israel against Hamas.
In his discussions with Prime Minister al-Sudani, Blinken focused on humanitarian concerns and the delivery of life-saving assistance in Gaza. He emphasized that Palestinians must not be forcibly displaced and expressed concern that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup and launch another attack. The United States is calling for pauses in aid and for people to leave the region. Blinken’s next stop is Turkey, where protests against Israel’s military operation in Gaza are already underway. Turkish officials, including those in NATO, have condemned the Israeli military operation following the attacks by Hamas.
In Southern Turkey, protests turned violent as hundreds of people at a pro-Palestinian rally attempted to storm an air base housing U.S. troops. This occurred hours before Blinken was scheduled to arrive in Ankara for talks. Reuters contributed to this report.