Top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken arrived in Istanbul to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the first leg of his Middle East and Europe tour, amid an escalation of tensions due to Israel's attacks on Gaza, neighboring Lebanon and more.

The plane carrying Blinken and his delegation landed at Istanbul Airport at 19:10 local time (4:10 p.m. GMT).

At the airport, Blinken was welcomed by Turkish diplomats and U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye Jeffry L. Flake.

Fidan and his American counterpart are expected to discuss Israeli attacks on Gaza, Sweden's NATO membership, regional issues, and bilateral relations in their talks scheduled for tomorrow in Istanbul.

Blinken will also visit Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the West Bank, and Egypt between Jan. 4 and 11, a State Department spokesman told reporters on Thursday.