Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Iraq on Friday to discuss the future of neighboring Syria. Meanwhile, thousands of Syrians came together in Damascus' main mosque for the first day of Friday prayers since the fall of former dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken took credit for President Donald Trump’s recently unveiled Gaza peace plan. Blinken surprised Bharara by saying Trump’s plan was “cause for some hope” and he backed it being “fully implemented.”

Two of the top national security officials President-elect Joe Biden named on Monday, Antony Blinken as secretary of state and Jake Sullivan as national security adviser, are known for collegiality, support for U.S. alliances and a reflex for using diplomacy as the tool of first resort.