President Joe Biden is dispatching his top diplomat to Israel on an urgent mission to show U.S. support after major terrorist attacks by Hamas militants, the State Department said Tuesday.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel in coming days to deliver a message of solidarity and support. He said Blinken will also "talk about what additional resources we can give them.”
Blinken will leave Wednesday and is expected to arrive Thursday.
Biden on Tuesday condemned the militant group Hamas for “sheer evil” for its shocking multipronged attack on Israel launched from the Gaza Strip that has killed hundreds of civilians, including at least 14 American citizens.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke by phone earlier on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the situation on the ground. Biden spoke out of the actions he and other allies have taken to support Israel in the aftermath of the attack and expressed his horror about “sickening” reports of torture inflicted by militants on innocent civilians.
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