According to an official, the CIA director is visiting the Middle East to meet with leaders and intelligence counterparts.

According to a US official, US CIA Director Bill Burns is visiting numerous Middle Eastern nations to meet with “multiple intelligence counterparts and country leaders.”

While negotiations over prisoners transported from Israel to Gaza continue, the US is trying to prevent a wider conflict, which is why the visit is taking place in the middle of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Burns “will talk about matters of shared concern, such as the state of affairs in Gaza, support for negotiations involving hostages, and the US’s commitment to keep preventing state and non-state actors from intensifying hostilities between Israel and Hamas.” According to an official release, the Director will “reinforce our commitment to intelligence cooperation, especially in areas such as counterterrorism and security.”