The Biden administration is ready to act if American personnel or armed forces are the focus of any such hostilities, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who stated that the United States anticipates the Israel-Hamas conflict to worsen due to Iranian proxy involvement.
“This is not what we’re searching for or what we want. Escalation is not what we want, Blinken declared. We do not want our soldiers or forces to come under fire.
But if that occurs, we are prepared. Blinken issued his warning as the third week of Israel’s military response to a deadly Hamas attack on civilians in southern Israel villages on October 7 began.
As the Middle East war threatened to go further, Israeli airplanes attacked sites throughout Gaza during the course of Saturday night and into Sunday. They also attacked two airports in Syria and a mosque in the occupied West Bank that militants were purportedly using. Since the start of the war, Israel and the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon have exchanged fire almost daily.
Tensions are now at an all-time high in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israeli soldiers have recently engaged in combat with militants in refugee camps and launched two airstrikes.
On Sunday, the United States announced that non-essential employees at its embassy in Iraq should depart the nation. Blinken, who recently traveled through the area, mentioned the “likelihood of escalation” and stated that no one wants to see a second or third front in the conflict.
He added, “We are taking steps to make sure that we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively if we need to,” and stated that he expected “escalation by Iranian proxies directed against our forces, directed against our personnel.”
President Joe Biden has often warned Israel’s opponents not to try to take advantage of the situation by using the word “don’t.” On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Blinken said that two aircraft carrier battle groups had been sent to the area along with other military forces, “not to provoke, but to deter, to make it clear that if anyone tries to do anything, we’re there.”
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