Iranian Official Heads to Saudi Arabia as Israel Postpones U.S. Meeting
As the Middle East remains on edge in anticipation of a possible retaliatory attack by Israel on Iran, the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, was scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of a diplomatic tour aimed at preventing further escalation in the region’s wars.Another important diplomatic meeting that had been set for Wednesday will not happen: Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, was supposed to go to Washington to discuss the situation in the Middle East with U.S.officials.
But on Tuesday the visit was postponed, and the Israeli prime minister’s office has declined to say why.The fate of the two visits highlighted the complicated regional dynamics the Biden administration must navigate as it seeks to calm the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and prevent the outbreak of a third, between Israel and Iran.The postponement of Mr.Gallant’s trip to Washington comes amid heightened tensions between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s conduct of its wars in Gaza and Lebanon and discussions between the two governments about how Israel should retaliate for Iran’s missile barrage last week.Since the war in Gaza began a year ago with a surprise Hamas-led attack on Israel, Mr.
Biden has repeatedly vowed to support Israel while also working to broker cease-fires and steer Israel away from moves that the United States fears could cause more civilian deaths and suffering — or increase the chances of violence spreading to the broader region.But Israel’s leaders have often overridden the White House’s guidance and have recently escalated their military offensives, striking Hezbollah in Lebanon, assassinating many of its leaders and sending ground troops into the country’s south.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or...