Blinken: “All parties must refrain from escalation”
Faced with the threat of retaliation from Iran and its allies, the US is trying to calm the situation. “We are conducting intensive diplomatic talks almost around the clock with a very simple message: All parties must refrain from escalation,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Washington. The exact timing of an attack on Israel is unclear, but it could be imminent. Concerns about an escalation of the conflict are growing.
US President Biden is also apparently trying to prevent an escalation. To this end, he spoke on the phone with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, the White House announced. During the conversation, the two discussed, among other things, de-escalation by brokering an agreement on an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages from Hamas. Indirect negotiations on such an agreement between Israel and Hamas have been going on for months. The two sides are not negotiating directly with each other; the US, Egypt and Qatar are mediating.
At the same time, the United States is preparing for all possibilities. According to the US Department of Defense, they are moving additional warships and fighter aircraft to the region. The commander of US troops in the Middle East, General Michael Erik Kurilla, met with Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi in Israel after a US military base in Iraq was attacked and several US soldiers were injured. According to the Israeli military, the meeting also covered “joint preparations” to counter the threats in the region.
Iran and its allies in the region had announced that they would severely punish Israel for the killing of Hamas foreign chief Ismail Haniya in Tehran and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week. Iran and Hamas blame Israel for the killing of Haniya, but Israel has not yet commented on the matter.
