The United States launched scores of strikes across the Middle East over the weekend as Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, set out for the region to push forward negotiations to secure the release of Israelis still held hostage in Gaza and get more humanitarian aid into the battered enclave. The American military has taken action against Iranian-backed militias for three days in a row now. American officials insist that the strikes have been carefully calibrated to avoid setting off an open confrontation with Iran and say that they have degraded the ability of the militias to attack U.S. forces.

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