US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ceasefire negotiations “have now reached a final stage” and that the US is working with Egypt and Qatar to conclude an agreement so they can avoid any further action in the Middle East.
“Everyone in the region should understand that further attacks only perpetuate conflict, instability, insecurity for everyone, and further attacks only raise the risk of dangerous outcomes that no one can predict and no one can fully control,” said Blinken on Tuesday.
“It’s urgent that everyone in the region take stock of the situation. Understand the risk of miscalculation, and make decisions that will calm tensions, not exacerbate them. That’s particularly true given the decisive moment that we’re at in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza.”
Blinken’s comments came after his meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles in Annapolis, Maryland.
This comes as about a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier have flown to a military base in the Middle East, as part of the Pentagon’s effort to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and to safeguard US troops, according to a US official.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the increased military presence in the region as officials worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in the wake of the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran, in suspected Israeli strikes.
Both groups are backed by Iran.
