US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Turkey on Friday – the first stop in his whirlwind tour through the region to try to deter a wider conflict and press Israel on its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The top US diplomat will hold a series of meetings in Istanbul on Saturday. He is expected to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

When Blinken last traveled to Turkey in November, he did not meet with the Turkish leader but met with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, for two and a half hours.

Turkey hosts Hamas leadership, and Erdogan has been outspoken against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war in Gaza.

More on Blinken's trip: The secretary of state will also travel to Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, and Greece. It is Blinken's fourth trip to the region since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

/CNN