Trump to skip Israel during Middle East trip

President Donald Trump just announced today (Tuesday) that he will not be visiting Israel as part of his planned trip to the Middle East next week, shutting down speculation that he might add the Jewish State to his itinerary.

The statement comes following Trump's statement that the Houthis had agreed to a mutual ceasefire with US forces and an end to attacks on non-Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, as well as repeated promises of an "earth-shattering" statement regarding developments in the region some time in the next few days. He also said "we will discuss" a possible Houthi attack on Israel.

Meanwhile, the State Department also announced "very good" news regarding the provision of aid to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip in the next few days, as well, without elaborating further.