US diplomat embarks on Mideast tour, including Egypt

CAIRO - 20 April 2022: US Acting Assistant State Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lambert embarked on a Middle East tour that includes Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank.

During her tour, which will run until next Tuesday, Lambert will discuss with senior leaders in the region ways of easing tensions and ending the cycle of violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the US State Department said in a press release published on its website Wednesday.

US Deputy Assistant State Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hadi Amr will accompany Lambert during her Mideast tour.

Israeli military aircraft mounted a number of strikes at military sites in the Gaza Strip before dawn.

The Israeli jets fired missiles targeting an area in Al Qadisiya west Khan Yunis in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave.

An Israeli army spokesman has said that the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Monday.