Shafaq News/ On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarks on his fourth visit to the Middle East amid heightened fears of the Israel-Hamas conflict expanding across the region.  

On condition of anonymity, a U.S. official confirmed the trip in a briefing but provided no specific details. 

Biden's Deputy Assistant and Senior Advisor for Energy and Investment, Amos Hochstein, will join Blinken to address rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. 

The visit follows the killing of Hamas' deputy leader, Saleh Arouri, in a strike in a Beirut suburb and a twin explosion in Iran, killing at least 95 civilians.