US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to the Middle East for continued diplomatic discussions on the Israel-Gaza war.
His trip to "a number" of countries, including Israel, comes as the Israeli army withdraws thousands of its troops from the Palestinian strip and shifts to lower-intensity military operations, following its ground offensive in the Hamas-run territory.
But the conflict also shows signs of escalating to the wider region, with a suspected Israeli strike on a Hamas leader in Lebanon, twin Islamic State bombings in Iran, and with Iran-funded Houthi militants in Yemen attacking ships in the Red Sea.
Benji Hyer reports.
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http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0104israel-bh-generic.mp3