Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned his G7 counterparts over the weekend that Iran and Hezbollah may carry out a coordinated attack on Israel as soon as Monday, according to a report.
During a conference call Sunday, Blinken stressed to US allies the need to put last-minute diplomatic pressure on Iran and Hezbollah to try to minimize their retaliation, three sources briefed on the call told Axios.
Blinken emphasized that if Iran and Lebanese ally Hezbollah were to limit their strikes, it may help prevent an all-out war, according to the report.
Iran and Hezbollah have pledged to retaliate against Israel following the killing of the top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah last week.
The sources told Axios that Blinken believes both Iran and Hezbollah will retaliate, likely within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Blinken spoke with G7 foreign ministers about recent talks about a ceasfire deal and said the Biden administration felt it was “close to a breakthrough” before top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran last week, the sources added.
He also assured the leaders that the additional US forces in the region were for defensive purposes only, according to the report.
The G7 ministers acknowledged the tensions in the Middle East in a statement, writing, “We urge all involved parties to refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, to lower tensions and engage constructively towards de-escalation.”
“No country or nation stands to gain from further escalation in the Middle East,” they added.
Israel has seemingly taken several steps this weekend to prepare for a potential strike.
The commander of US Central Command Gen. Michael Kurilla is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday to help the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ahead of the possible attack, Axios reported.
Additionally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting Sunday night with Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and the heads of military and intelligence services, according to the report.
“Iran and its minions are looking to surround us in a stranglehold of terrorism. We are determined to stand against them on every front and in every arena — near and far. Whoever seeks to harm us will pay a very heavy price,” Netanyahu said ahead of the meeting.
Gallant also spoke with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Sunday, according to the report.
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