This is not the way to de-escalate...
Iran would face ‘significant’ consequences if it attacks Israel: US official
A senior US administration official has warned Iran that it would face “significant” consequences if it decides to attack Israel, the Reuters news agency reports.
The official, which Reuters did not name, said an Iranian attack would jeopardise Gaza ceasefire talks and result in consequences that would severely impact Iran’s economy.
Tensions have been high and a retaliatory attack is expected against Israel following the recent assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Austin says US fighter jets deployed to Middle East to ‘deter aggression’
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held a call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, in which he reaffirmed the US’s “ironclad support” for Israel as tensions ramp up in the region.
“The US F-22 Raptors that arrived in the region today represent one of many efforts to deter aggression, defend Israel and protect US forces in the region,” Austin said.
Austin also “stressed the importance of concluding a ceasefire deal in Gaza that releases” captives held in the Palestinian enclave.
I called Israeli Minister of Defense Gallant today to brief him on U.S. force posture adjustments and reinforce my ironclad support for Israel’s defense. The U.S. F-22 Raptors that arrived in the region today represent one of many efforts to deter aggression, defend Israel and…
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) August 8, 2024
US unlikely to put new pressure on Israel despite call by mediators for Gaza ceasefire deal
The question is, immediately, is this new grounds for hope? A new impetus? A new hardening of the mediators’ positioning? Meaning, also, that the US will now finally apply that leverage to get this ceasefire deal done once and for all.
I just got off a background call with a senior US administration official, and I have to say the impression I got from that was – no, not really.
This is really, in the words of the administration official, a sign of impatience and frustration that it’s taken so long and the whole process has not been moving as it should have been.
So this is about making a powerful statement using the leaders of these three countries to put their names on a statement saying now is the time for a ceasefire.
But I didn’t get any impression that the US is prepared to use any more leverage on Israel, and it is Israel that keeps adding proposals to the ceasefire whenever a ceasefire agreement seems to be close.
Preparatory talks, we were told, will begin fairly soon, before next Thursday’s talks. But there is no expectation that then people will be signing on the dotted line. There are four or five issues, were are told, that need to be worked out.
