Hours after an unannounced stop in Iraq, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey in the early hours of Monday (local time) to hold a key diplomatic meeting, CNN reported.

Turkey happens to be his last stop in the region before heading to Asia.

Blinken is expected to meet with Turkish officials on Monday morning to discuss the Israel-Hamas war.

Notably, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been immensely critical of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, calling the actions “crimes against humanity” and saying this weekend he was suspending communications with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Turkey has also recalled its ambassador to Israel for “consultation”.