Latest Antony Blinken News

US thanks Romania for its leader exiting the NATO leadership race to clear the way for Rutte

Jun. 21, 2024 11:26 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Friday thanked Romania for its president withdrawing from the race to lead NATO, saying the move would help ensure the Western military alliance stays properly focused. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered the message to his...

The Latest | Hezbollah says Israeli strikes kill 3 fighters as US envoy tries to calm tensions

Jun. 19, 2024 20:13 PM EDT

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed three Hezbollah fighters on Wednesday, the militant group said, as a U.S. envoy tasked with avoiding a devastating regional war returned to Israel after meeting officials in Lebanon. Lebanese state media reported multiple Israeli strikes...

The Latest | Netanyahu accuses Biden of delaying weapons, but US insists arms are flowing

Jun. 18, 2024 18:21 PM EDT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming the United States is withholding weapons needed for the war in Gaza. In a video released Tuesday, Netanyahu implied the holdup was slowing Israel’s offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. President Joe Biden has delayed...

Israel's Netanyahu blames Biden for withholding weapons. US officials say that's not the whole story

Jun. 18, 2024 15:28 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday claimed the United States is withholding weapons and implied this was slowing Israel's offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where fighting has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians. ...

US, Cyprus embark on strategic dialogue that officials say demonstrates closest-ever ties

Jun. 17, 2024 14:20 PM EDT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus-U.S. relations have reached their highest level yet after the two countries embarked on a strategic dialogue on key issues including defense, security, energy, crisis management and the fight against terrorism, officials said Monday. U.S. Secretary of...

8 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza in deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months

Jun. 15, 2024 17:46 PM EDT

JERUSALEM (AP) — An explosion in southern Gaza killed eight Israeli soldiers, the military said Saturday, making it the deadliest attack on Israeli forces in months. The attack, coming more than eight months into a grinding war that shows few signs of ending soon, was likely to...

Editorial Roundup: United States

Jun. 14, 2024 12:54 PM EDT

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: June 9 The Washington Post says freed hostages are good, now it's time for a truce Some 245 days after Hamas kidnapped them from an outdoor music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, four Israeli...

Blinken says some of Hamas' proposed changes to a cease-fire plan in Gaza are workable and some not

Jun. 12, 2024 22:38 PM EDT

BEIRUT (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that mediators would keep trying to close an elusive cease-fire deal for Gaza after Hamas proposed changes to a U.S.-backed plan, some of which he said were “workable” and some not. The back-and-forth laid bare...

The Latest | Hezbollah rocket barrage ups pressure on Israel as Gaza cease-fire negotiations drag on

Jun. 12, 2024 18:07 PM EDT

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets toward northern Israel on Wednesday, hours after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior commander — the hightest-ranking member of the group to die in eight months of fighting. The Israeli military said some of the 215...

What are the main sticking points in the cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas?

Jun. 12, 2024 12:08 PM EDT

The latest proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza has the support of the United States and most of the international community, but Hamas has not fully embraced it, and neither, it seems, has Israel. Hamas this week accepted the broad outline but requested “amendments." Prime Minister...