'Very good conversations' in Saudi Arabia, Egypt -Blinken
STORY: The top U.S. diplomat arrived in Israel on Thursday - as it prepares a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a deadly Hamas attack on civilians - and has also been to Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The conflict has raised international concern that it could spark a wider regional war.
"There's a determination in every country I went to, to make sure that this conflict doesn't spread," Blinken told reporters (not caught on camera) as he prepared to leave Cairo. "They are using their own influence, their own relationships, to try to make sure that this doesn't happen."
Binken met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh Sunday and then Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, where he received a blunt assessment from Sisi of Israel's response to the Hamas attack that killed 1,300 people.
"The (Israeli) reaction went beyond the right to self-defense, turning into collective punishment for 2.3 million people in Gaza," Sisi told Blinken in televised remarks.
