Heads of State and Pentagon warn against escalation in the Middle East

Calling for calm in the Middle East, U.S. leaders said on Tuesday that they and their allies are putting direct pressure on Israel, Iran and other countries to avoid escalation of the conflict.

This was reported by AP, according to Yevropeiska Pravda.

At the end of the meeting with the Australian leadership, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said it was extremely important for everyone in the region to assess the situation, understand the risk of miscalculation, and make decisions "that will calm tensions rather than exacerbate them."

At the same time, 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," Austin said.

"And we remain ready to deploy at short notice to respond to new threats to our security, our partners, or our interests," he added.

He said the attack was carried out by an "Iranian-backed Shiite militia group," but officials are still trying to determine which one.

Blinken and Austin met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Secretary Richard Marles at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis to discuss efforts to expand military cooperation and intensify diplomatic efforts in the Asia-Pacific region.

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. This raised fears that the appointment would provoke Israel and that tensions would escalate into a larger war.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 07/08/2024