Mike Pompeo flying to Middle East
ABOARD THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S PLANE — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is traveling to Turkey, Jerusalem and Brussels, amid a ballooning military conflict in Syria.
Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence are expected to land separately in Ankara on Thursday to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish forces have recently invaded Syria in an increasingly bloody battle that is roiling the global order.
"Our mission set is to see if we can get a cease-fire, see if we can get this brokered," Pompeo said in brief remarks before his plane took off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
From Turkey, Pompeo will fly to Israel, where he'll meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He'll meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.
