Blinken heads to G7 meeting for talks on Israel and Ukraine
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrived in Italy on Wednesday for a meeting of Group of 7 foreign ministers, where problems in the Middle East and the fate of Ukraine will be central topics.The meeting will take place as world leaders try to contain the growing fallout from the war between Israel and Hamas. With the utmost urgency, they are trying to persuade Israel not to escalate the conflict with Iran in the wake of Iranian attacks on Israel over the weekend, which caused little damage but involved hundreds of missiles and drones and prompted Israel to call for a punitive response.In the opening session, officials will also discuss Israel's invasion of Gaza and international efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement.The G7 is a conference of seven industrialized democracies – Ita...