US offi­cials pre­pare for final round of hostage and cease­fire nego­ti­a­tions with retal­ia­to­ry attacks on the hori­zon

Diplo­mats and state offi­cials are prepar­ing to meet their Mid­dle East coun­ter­parts this week as the Aug. 15 nego­ti­a­tion dead­line nears.
Nego­tia­tors are rush­ing to tie up any loose ends before the final round of nego­ti­a­tions begins Thurs­day. If the deal suc­ceeds, it could sig­nal a dras­tic change in the Mid­dle East, where ten­sions have been steadi­ly ris­ing.
Offi­cials plan­ning to vis­it the region include Sec­re­tary of State Antony Blinken, diplo­mat Brett McGurk, and CIA Direc­tor William Burns, accord­ing to Axios. Their meet­ings will depend on if expect­ed retal­ia­to­ry attacks come after recent events.
The IDF con­duct­ed an airstrike overnight that tar­get­ed a com­po …