According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the United States will be prepared to take action if Iranian proxies carry out any attacks against U.S. soldiers or personnel in the Israel-Hamas war. During a televised interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Aug. 22, Blinken said the Biden administration will respond if U.S. forces become the target of hostilities.
“We’re taking every measure to make sure we can defend them, and if necessary, respond decisively,” Blinken said. “Not at all what we’re looking for, not at all what we want, but we’ll be prepared if that’s what they choose to do.”
“If any country is looking to widen this conflict or take advantage of this very unfortunate situation that we see, our advice is ‘Don’t.’” Austin said. “We maintain the right to defend ourselves and we won’t hesitate to take the appropriate action.”
The warning from U.S senior officials comes three weeks into the Israel-Hamas war as they look to end the conflict diplomatically with the help of other countries.
Over the weekend of Oct. 21, world leaders from Arab, African, and European countries met in Cairo for a peace summit to discuss how to de-escalate the war, but failed to reach a consensus.
Israel continues to strike targets in Gaza and, according to local Hamas-run agencies, 5,000 people have died so far in Gaza.
The United States has deployed additional military assets to the Middle East to deter other countries and organizations, such as Iran and Hezbollah, from escalating the conflict.
“We’re going to do what is necessary to make sure our troops are in a good position,” Austin said. “They’re protected, and that we have the ability to respond.”
“No one should take advantage of this moment to escalate further attacks on Israel, or further attacks on us, on our personnel,” Blinken said.
Meanwhile, the United States is not the only country sending naval power to the Middle East. China has reportedly deployed six warships to the area.
According to a report from the Global Times, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, the warship deployment is a routine mission and not an interference in the current Israel-Hamas war.
Beijing’s special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, has called for a ceasefire and reiterated China’s support for a two-state solution.
China has not directly condemned Hamas’ brutal attack against Israel that reportedly killed 1400 Israelis in south Israel on Oct.7.
Now the question remains: When will Israel launch its ground incursion against Gaza?
