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In conversations with their U. S. counterparts, Saudi officials have described a war on the ground as a devastating blow to the stability of the Middle East.
By Kate Kelly, Vivian Nereim, Mark Mazzetti and Edward Wong
Kate Kelly and Vivian Nereim reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Mark Mazzetti and Edward Wong reported from Washington.
Saudi officials have strongly warned the United States in recent days that an Israeli incursion into Gaza could be catastrophic for the Middle East.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. and a member of the Armed Services Committee, was one of 10 senators who met last weekend with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
“Saudi leaders had hoped that a floor operation would have been avoided for reasons of stability as well as for reasons of loss of life,” he said. Saudi officials warned that this would be “extremely damaging,” he said.
Senior Saudi officials have issued even more potent exhortations to their U. S. counterparts at the talks, expressing fears that an invasion of the floor could turn into a crisis for the entire region, according to a Saudi official and a user of the moment familiar with the discussions.
The exchanges came as tensions spread from the Gaza Strip. Essentials such as water and fuel are in short supply as Israel bombs and besieges the enclave in reaction to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, the Palestinian armed organization that controls Gaza.
A Biden administration official said it was clear the Saudis did not need an Israeli invasion of Gaza. The U. S. official, as well as the Saudi official and user aware of the Saudi warnings, asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue. .
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