TEHRAN, Mar. 19 (MNA) – The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week to discuss efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza

Blinken will hold talks with Saudi leaders in Jeddah on Wednesday before traveling to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian authorities, spokesman Matthew Miller said from the Philippines, where Blinken is touring, the AFP reported.

This will be Blinken's sixth trip to the West Asia region since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza last October .

"The Secretary will discuss efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire agreement that secures the release of all remaining hostages, intensified international efforts to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and coordination on post-conflict planning for Gaza...," Miller claimed in a statement.

Blinken will also discuss "a political path for the Palestinian people with security assurances with Israel, and an architecture for lasting peace and security in the region."

And he will raise the imperative issue of ending attacks by Yemenis, Miller added.

Blinken is in Manila as part of a brief Asia tour aimed at reinforcing US support for regional allies against China.

MNA