Biden travels to Israel; Hospital blast sparks protests across Middle East

Daylight aftermath of Gaza hospital blast

Max Butterworth

Scorched vehicles sit outside the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in central Gaza on Wednesday morning, following an explosion at the facility, late Tuesday.

Israeli troops prepare for possible two-front war

Josh Lederman

TEL AVIV — While Israel and Hamas fight near Gaza in the south, Hezbollah is launching missiles from Lebanon along the northern border. And Israeli troops are preparing for the possibility of a simultaneous war along both borders.

Violent protests erupt outside U.S. embassy in Beirut

Max Butterworth

Lebanese people gathered in front of the U.S. embassy in Beirut into the early hours of Wednesday morning, after the blast at Gaza’s al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.

Biden set to arrive in Israel after Jordan summit canceled

President Joe Biden is expected to arrive in Israel Wednesday to demonstrate steadfast support and consult with the Israeli government.

But he arrives in the wake of the deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital, which has left the Middle East at perhaps its most tense in 11 days of war between Israel and Hamas.

Biden said in a statement that he was “outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted.”

He had planned to travel to Amman for talks with the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority that were set to focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but the meeting has been canceled after the hospital explosion.