US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived today on a visit to Cairo, BTA reported.

The Egyptian capital is Blinken's first stop on his Middle East tour, which also includes visits to Jerusalem and Ramallah tomorrow and Tuesday.

In Egypt, the Secretary of State will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Anthony Blinken will visit the Middle East amid US concerns over violence in the region

The talks are expected to focus on rising tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.

Cairo has historically played the role of mediator between the two sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Blinken, whose visit to Egypt had been planned for a long time, is visiting Cairo at a time when the security situation in the region has deteriorated sharply.

Seven Israelis were killed and two wounded in attacks in East Jerusalem on Friday and yesterday.

Also on Friday, the Israeli army bombed the Gaza Strip in response to rockets fired from the Palestinian enclave into Israeli territory.

On Thursday, nine Palestinians were killed in an operation by Israeli forces in the city of Jenin on the West Bank.  

Cairo

Anthony Blinken