White House confirms Sullivan to travel to Saudi Arabia, Israel this weekend

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - White House on Friday confirmed National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is heading to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend.

Sullivan will be in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, where he will meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss bilateral and regional matters, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

The two will also discuss "the war in Gaza, of course, and ongoing efforts to achieve a lasting peace and security in the region," said Kirby during a press briefing.

Sullivan will travel to Israel on Sunday to meet senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "discuss the war in Gaza, including ongoing negotiations to secure the release of all the hostages, to address the humanitarian crisis and our shared objective for the enduring defeat of Hamas," the spokesman said.

Sullivan will also talk on Israel's operation in Rafah, the southern Gaza city from where over 600,000 Palestinians have fled since May 6.

The trip is also being billed as an effort to move forward with plans to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Sullivan was initially scheduled to visit the kingdom in April, but the trip was called off at the last minute because the senior Biden administration official broke a rib.