The unconfirmed report from US publication Axios was released on Monday, as fears for a regional war in the Middle East rose after Iran and Hezbollah pledged to retaliate for the killing of the top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah last week.
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Axios reports that Blinken stressed that the US believes Iran and Hezbollah will both retaliate although Washington “doesn’t know the exact timing of the attacks” or how they will occur. However, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant gave a stern warning, saying: “If they dare to attack us, they will pay a heavy price.”
The G7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, issued a statement on Monday expressing “deep concern over the heightened level of tension in the Middle East”, and insisted that “no country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation”.
According to Blinken, the United States hopes to persuade Iran and Hezbollah to limit their attacks and restrain any Israeli response to halt the escalation. He urged the other world leaders to join that push by applying diplomatic pressure on the trio.
US Central Command chief, General Michael Kurilla, is reportedly set to visit Israel on Monday to “finalize preparations” with the Israeli army “ahead of the possible attack”, Axios reports.
