Calling for calm in the Middle East, U.S. national security leaders said that they and their allies are putting direct pressure on Israel, Iran, and other countries to avoid escalation of the conflict. However, the United States has deployed more troops to the region and threatened to retaliate in case of an attack on American forces. UNN writes about this with reference to Associated Press.
It is imperative that everyone in the region assess the situation, understand the risk of miscalculation, and make decisions that will calm tensions rather than exacerbate them
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted Monday's attack on U.S. forces in Iraq by an Iranian-backed militant group that wounded seven soldiers and made it clear that the United States would not hesitate to respond.
Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region
The publication notes that their comments came as Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, the organizer of the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel that led to the war, as its new leader, heightening fears that the announcement would provoke Israel and that tensions would escalate into a larger war.
Tehran has also vowed to retaliate against Israel for last week's assassination of a senior Hamas political leader in Iran, and Lebanon's Hezbollah has threatened to retaliate for an Israeli strike that killed one of the group's top commanders in Beirut.
All of this has complicated the efforts of American, Egyptian and Qatari mediators trying to save the ceasefire talks and the release of hostages in Gaza.
Камала Гарріс: США зберігає відданість безпеці Ізраїлю, працюємо над деескалацією06.08.24, 10:52
Blinken said that further attacks would only perpetuate the conflict, adding that "we are engaged in intensive diplomacy with allies and partners, taking this message directly to Iran. We have taken that message directly to Israel.
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Austin announced the redeployment of U.S. troops in recent days to help defend Israel from possible attacks from Iran and its satellites in the region. He also said that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln will replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt later this month.
About a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets and an E-2D Hawkeye reconnaissance aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt flew from the Gulf of Oman to a military base in the Middle East on Monday, a US official said.
The grounding of the Navy aircraft is expected to be temporary, as a squadron of US Air Force F-22s is en route to the same base from its home base in Alaska. About a dozen F-22s are expected to arrive in the Middle East in the coming days.