WANA (August 13) – Amid escalating tensions in West Asia following the assassination of Hamas leader and Hezbollah commander by Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit the region. Blinken’s visit is scheduled for later today, Tuesday, as tensions continue to mount.

 

Barak Ravid, a reporter for Axios, announced the news via his social media account on X, citing informed sources. According to Ravid, Blinken will visit Qatar, Egypt, and Israel during his trip. Ravid added that this trip has not yet been finalized, as Blinken, like everyone else, is waiting to see if Iran will retaliate.

 

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Tensions have been on the rise in West Asia following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran on July 31 and the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut on July 30. Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s assassination and have vowed to respond to this “criminal act.”

 

In response, Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy Head of the Iranian Judiciary for International Affairs and Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of Iran, emphasized that “the heinous crime of assassinating a high-ranking official guest of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran is undoubtedly a blatant violation of international law, the UN Charter, and international human rights.” He also highlighted that this action definitively holds the Israeli regime accountable and affirms Iran’s inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

 

Gharibabadi further stated that this terrorist act, targeting a political leader of a recognized and popular Palestinian resistance movement, constitutes a clear violation of Article 48 of the First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which strictly prohibits attacks on civilian objects and persons.