Blinken says US still hasn’t seen Israeli plan for Rafah op after PM announces it approved one

By Reuters and Jacob Magid

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15 March 2024, 5:40 pm

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, at the Federal Chancellery, in Vienna, Austria, Friday March 15, 2024. (Evelyn Hockstein, Pool Photo via AP)

The United States needs to see a clear and implementable plan for Rafah, including to get civilians out of harm’s way, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had approved plans for a military operation in Rafah.

Blinken tells reporters in Austria that the US has not yet seen such a plan for a military operation in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million people are sheltering.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says the US would “welcome” the opportunity to see the Israeli plan.