Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, said on Sunday that Washington will retaliate if their troops are targeted in the course of Israel-Hamas war, as the risk of the conflict spreading across the Middle East rises.
Blinken came up with the warning while speaking at an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.
Blinken said that he expects the war to escalate through involvement by proxies of Iran, adding that the administration of US President Joe Biden is prepared to respond if American personnel become the target of any such hostilities.
“We are taking steps to make sure that we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively if we need to,” Blinken said, noting that additional military assets had been deployed to the Middle East, including two aircraft carrier battle groups.
The US diplomat also said, Israel does not want to rule the Gaza Strip after the war with Hamas draws to a close, according to his discussions with Israeli officials.
But he emphasised that after the war, there could be no return to the status quo.
Source : Al-Jazeera
