US Concerned About Mideast Escalation Amid Pending Israeli Offensive (Videos)
By Worthy News’ George Whitten and Stefan J. Bos
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern Sunday about the rapidly evolving tensions in the Middle East, suggesting they could escalate into a broader armed conflict involving Iran.
“We are concerned. In fact, we expect that there is a likelihood of escalation, escalation by Iranian proxies directed against our forces, directed against our personnel,” Blinken told the NBC television’s Meet the Press program.
“We are taking steps that we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively if we need to,” he said.
His comments came as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel and the United States that the Middle East “may spiral out of control” if Israel doesn’t immediately halt its military action in Gaza.
He spoke ahead of an imminent Israeli ground offensive into the Gaza Strip that Israel says is aimed at “Hamas terrorists.”
While Washington supports Israel militarily, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that Israel’s potential ground offensive in Gaza could be a lengthy and dangerous operation.
COMPLEX BATTLE
He suggested that Israel’s fight in the Gaza Strip could be even more complex than the U.S.-backed battle to liberate the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in Nineveh province from the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.
“Urban combat is extremely difficult. It goes at a slow phase,” Austin said, adding that it took nine months.
“This may be a bit more difficult because of the underground network of tunnels that Hamas has constructed over time,” he explained on ABC network’s This Week.
“And the fact is that they had a long time to prepare for a fight. So I think you’ll see a fight that is characterized by a lot of [improvised devices] IDs, a lot of boobytraps, and just really grinding activity going forward,” he explained.
He spoke as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel and the U.S. that the Middle East may spiral out of control if Israel doesn’t immediately halt its military action.
There were no indications Sunday that Israel would end its military campaign after Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in Israel since October 7. Gaza’s Hamas-ruled health ministry says 4,600 people were killed in Israel’s retaliatory strikes.
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