VIDEO: Former US envoy to Yemen to head Gaza ceasefire center

The US State Department has appointed Ambassador Steven Fagin as the civilian lead of the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), a facility established to oversee the implementation of President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.

A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister Counselor, Fagin has served as the US ambassador to Yemen since May 2022. The State Department highlighted his extensive diplomatic experience, which includes roles as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Baghdad (2020–21), Principal Officer at the US Consulate General in Erbil (2018–20), Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs (2015–18), and Director of the Regional Affairs Office in the South and Central Asia Bureau (2013–15).

Since joining the Foreign Service in 1997, Fagin has held postings in Brussels, Islamabad, Astana, Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Minsk, Tbilisi, and Cairo, along with key positions in Washington, including Pakistan Desk Officer and Special Assistant to then-Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nick Burns. 

According to the statement, Fagin will coordinate diplomatic efforts at the CMCC alongside Lieutenant General Patrick Frank, commander of US Army Central, who serves as the military lead. The center, located in Kiryat Gat, 56 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, was established to maintain the fragile Gaza ceasefire and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who toured the CMCC on Friday, described the center as a sign of “healthy optimism” for enforcing the truce. Senior US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, have also visited the facility this week to underscore Washington’s commitment to the deal.