WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the United States was working around the clock to prevent escalation in the Middle East and urged Israel and Hamas to "break this cycle" of violence through a ceasefire.
With Iran believed to be planning a retaliatory strike against Israel following the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran, Blinken said that escalation would "only lead to more conflict, more violence, more insecurity."
"We are engaged in intense diplomacy, pretty much around the clock, with a very simple message - all parties must refrain from escalation," he said as he met Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
"It's also critical that we break this cycle by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza," Blinken said.
He said a ceasefire "will unlock possibilities for more enduring calm, not only in Gaza itself, but in other areas where the conflict could spread."
"What it really comes down to, really, is all parties finding ways to come to an agreement, not look for reasons to delay or to say no," Blinken said. "It is urgent that all parties make the right choices in the hours and days ahead."
Trump administration rejects WHO pandemic treaty changes citing sovereignty concerns
US president says tensions between two countries eased only after ceasefire was reached
Legal action comes after WSJ alleges Trump wrote Epstein a birthday greeting, a claim he strongly denies.
Pioneering skydiver Felix Baumgartner dies in a paragliding crash
It is unclear what lead to the explosion, says report
"EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war," says EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas