Washington’s top diplomat will discuss the Gaza war with Turkey’s mercurial leader today before flying to Crete to address Greek worries about the looming sale of US fighter jets to Ankara, AFP reports.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Istanbul late Friday for the first leg of a trip that includes visits to Israel and West Bank, along with five Arab states.

Blinken’s fourth crisis tour since the start of the Israel-Hamas offensive three months ago comes with fears mounting that the conflict will engulf swathes of the Middle East.