US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin warned on Sunday of an expected escalation of military conflict in the Middle East over Iranian meddling, signalling a readiness to respond if US personnel or armed forces become the target of any military action.
We don’t want to see our forces or our personnel come under fire. But if that happens, we’re ready for it.
Austin noted the prospect of a significant escalation, asserting the US right to self-defence amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The US announced on Sunday the return of secondary personnel from its embassy in Iraq.
On Sunday, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip as well as two airports in Syria and a mosque in the West Bank, attributing the attacks to the presence of militants at the sites.
The Israeli army battles the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on an almost daily basis, with tensions rising in the Israeli-seized West Bank, where the country has been fighting in refugee camps and carrying out airstrikes.
Blinken spoke of an expected escalation by Iran, directed “against our forces, directed against our personnel.” He also reported the deployment of additional military forces to the region, including two aircraft carrier battle groups, to deter further escalation.
We are taking steps to make sure that we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively if we need to. Iran is an enemy of Israel.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly urged Israel’s enemies not to take advantage of the situation to intervene in the conflict.
Despite the opening on Sunday of a key crossing into the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, the humanitarian situation in the enclave remains catastrophic, Cindy McCain, executive director of the UN World Food Programme, noted.
This is a catastrophe happening and we just simply have to get these trucks in.
Biden held a teleconference with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain to discuss co-operation to prevent the war from spreading while seeking a political solution. The US leader also discussed the situation in separate conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Pope Francis.
