U.S.: We See Potential for Escalation of Attacks on Americans in the Middle East

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated on Sunday that "the United States sees a likelihood of escalated attacks on its forces in the Middle East, as well as a broadening of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas." The two officials confirmed that "Washington does not want the conflict to widen." Blinken told NBC News that "Iran's actions and its proxies in the region could lead to that escalation, and the United States hopes to secure the release of more hostages held by Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,400 people." For his part, Austin expressed "concern over the potential escalation" in an interview with ABC, saying, "In fact, what we are seeing… is the potential for a significant escalation of attacks on our forces and citizens throughout the region." He added, "If any group or country is looking to expand this conflict and take advantage of this extremely unfortunate situation… our advice is: don't do it."