Dear Mr Blinken, You Could Start ME Tour By Warning Bibi to Stop Bombing Jabalia, Biet Lahia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday, the first stop of his yet another Middle East tour aimed at ending the war in Gaza.

Blinken, on his 11th trip to the region since Oct. 7, 2023, is expected to discuss with top Israeli officials the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as Tel Aviv’s potential response to Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attack on Israel.

Blinken’s Oct. 21-25 tour will “reaffirm U.S. commitment to enduring peace and security in the region,” according to a State Department official. He will “discuss ending the war in Gaza, the release of hostages, and the urgent need for humanitarian aid delivery to help civilians in Gaza.”

Before leaving, Blinken said on X: “On my way to Israel and other stops in the Middle East for intensive discussions about the importance of ending the war in Gaza, returning the hostages to their families, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

The week-long trip is said to include a stop in Jordan and Doha as well.

Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt and Qatar have so far yielded no results, but Washington maintains that Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week may lead to a breakthrough in talks. Hamas, however, says the conflict will end when Israel stops its military campaign in the blockaded enclave, which has killed more than 42,600 people since last October according to Anadolu.

  • CrossFireArabia

    CrossFireArabia

    Dr. Marwan Asmar holds a PhD from Leeds University and is a freelance writer specializing on the Middle East. He has worked as a journalist since the early 1990s in Jordan and the Gulf countries, and been widely published, including at Albawaba, Gulf News, Al Ghad, World Press Review and others.

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    US/Israel Used 3000 Missiles in First 36 Hours of War

    More than 3,000 precision-guided munitions and interceptors were used in the first 36 hours of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, revealing a major weakness in the supply chain.

    Estimates by the Payne Institute indicated that Iran launched over 1,000 weapons across the region, including around 380 ballistic missiles, 700 Shahed drones, and 50 air defense missiles, prompting large-scale interception attempts by the US, Israel, and Gulf countries that have been targets of Iranian retaliatory attacks.

    During the opening phase of the campaign, US forces used a wide range of offensive weapons, including 210 JDAM precision-guided bombs, 120 Tomahawk cruise missiles, 120 low-cost drones, and 90 AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles targeting Iranian radar systems.

    Israeli forces also conducted extensive strikes, using about 280 Spice-guided bombs, 140 smart bomb kits, 70 Rampage supersonic missiles, and 50 Delilah cruise or loitering missiles, according to the estimates.

    Defensive systems were also heavily used to intercept Iranian attacks. The US fired approximately 180 SM-2/SM-3/SM-6 naval interceptors, 90 Patriot PAC-2/PAC-3 missiles, and 40 THAAD interceptors, while Israel deployed 70 Iron Dome Tamir interceptors, 40 Arrow missiles, and 35 David’s Sling interceptors.

    Regional partners also participated in air defense efforts, with Gulf states launching about 250 Patriot PAC-3 interceptors and 30 THAAD missiles, the estimates showed.

    The intense exchange of missiles and drones underscored a broader strategic challenge, according to media reports. While defensive systems have largely intercepted incoming attacks, the cost and volume of munitions used are placing significant strain on Western supply chains.

    Replenishing these arsenals is not only a financial challenge but also a supply-chain issue tied to critical minerals, including cobalt, tungsten, and rare earth elements that are essential for guidance systems, electronics, and rocket motors.

    Many of these materials are sourced from limited suppliers, with China dominating several key mineral markets, raising concerns that prolonged conflict could expose vulnerabilities in Western defense manufacturing capacity. Anadolu

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