US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is heading to the Middle East amid intense diplomatic efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip and mounting international pressure on Israel to reduce civilian casualties among Palestinians.
Blinken's visit comes as the war between Israel and the Palestinian extremist movement Hamas approaches its fourth month.
Reuters quoted a senior US official as saying that Blinken will travel to the Middle East on Thursday, including a stop in Israel.
The upcoming meetings of senior US officials in the Middle East come as the risk of a wider Middle East conflict escalates, despite collective efforts by Western and regional powers to limit the war between Israel and Hamas to the Gaza Strip.
The State Department said the United States remains "extremely concerned" about the risk of the conflict spreading to other fronts, following the killing of senior Hamas official Saleh al-Aruri in Beirut on Tuesday.
Israel's military said it was on alert for an attack by the Lebanese extremist group Hezbollah. This followed a drone strike in Beirut that killed al-Arouri, who was closely associated with Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
In a televised speech, Nasrallah said there would be "retaliation and punishment" but did not make clear that his forces would intensify attacks on Israel.
