The US has warned Iran that it will suffer significant consequences if it decides to attack Israel, a US official said.
“The United States has sent clear messages to Iran that the risk of a major escalation if it makes a significant retaliatory strike against Israel is extremely high,” the official told the Wall Street Journal. An escalation would threaten hopes of a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced, via X, that he called his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallad, with whom they discussed the measures taken by the US to defend Israel and the possible conclusion of a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
“The (fighter jets) F-22s that arrived in the area (…) are part of the many efforts to prevent an attack, defend Israel and protect US forces. I also stressed the importance of concluding a cease-fire agreement in Gaza” that would lead to the release of “the hostages,” he said.
Tensions in the Middle East rose further after the assassination of Ismail Haniya, the head of Hamas’s political office, in Tehran. His killing came hours after Fouad Soukr, a top official in the Lebanese Hezbollah’s military wing, was killed in an Israeli bombardment in Beirut.
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