Blinken meets Saudi Crown Prince, calls for pressure on Hamas to release hostages

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed for international pressure on Hamas during a high-stakes meeting with Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown PrincePrincePrince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday.

The discussion, which took place at the royal's farm residence in the Riyadh area, lasted nearly an hour and focused on the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Describing the meeting as "very productive," Blinken reiterated that the “US has Israel's back, no matter what”. He said that the ongoing situation in Israel is a “difficult and very tenuous time for the region” in the wake of the deadly attack by Hamas.