Iran and Hezbollah attack on Israel imminent, Blinken tells G7: Report
Al Jazeera
US says seeking to limit attacks and response, urges G7 allies to use diplomatic pressure to try to avert regional war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Iran and Hezbollah may attack Israel within the next 24 to 48 hours.
The unconfirmed report from US publication Axios was released on Monday, as fears grew of a regional war in the Middle East. Iran and Hezbollah have pledged to retaliate for the killing of the top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah last week.
Quoting three unnamed sources, Axios reports that Blinken told G7 counterparts in a conference call that Iran and Hezbollah could launch an attack against Israel as early as Monday.
“The sources said Blinken stressed that the US believes Iran and Hezbollah will both retaliate,” Axios wrote, adding that Washington “doesn’t know the exact timing of the attacks” or what form they would take.
Blinken told his G7 counterpart that the United States hopes to halt the escalation by persuading Iran and Hezbollah to limit their attacks and restrain any Israeli response. He asked the other foreign ministers to join that push by applying diplomatic pressure on the trio.
