Impossible balancing act? Blinken's Middle East tour concludes in Turkey

The trip that began with Blinken's fourth trip to Israel in as many weeks included a slow ratcheting up of Washington's calls for humanitarian pauses to spare civilian lives, but as Israeli troops surround Gaza City, protesters – like those outside Turkey's Incirlik NATO military base Sunday – clearly do not see results.

What was the aim of Blinken's Turkey visit and why did the country's president make a point of travelling to the remote northeast of the country while the top US diplomat was in town?

Not to be overlooked, Iraq's prime minister travelled to Tehran one day after Blinken paid a call on Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. With pro-Iran militias targeting US forces in Iraq and Syria, it's all a reminder that between Iran and its proxies on the one hand, and the US and Israel on the other, there is a wide range of stakeholders, all looking for a way to reverse a deadly spiral that risks drawing in the entire region.

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Imen Mellaz.

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