U.S. sees growing risk of escalation over Gaza war, but rejects calls for a ceasefire
“What we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel across the region in the very near-term coming from Iranian proxy forces,” Pentagon spokeperson
The United States is expressing growing concern about the prospect for “significant escalation” over the Israel Gaza war, including over a dozen drone attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria the past week, but rejected calls to press Israel for a ceasefire.
“Between October 17th and the 24th, U.S. and coalition forces have been attacked at least 10 separate times in Iraq and three separate times in Syria via a mix of one way attack drones and rockets,” Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told journalists at a department press briefing today (Oct. 24).
Ryder said the groups conducting the stepped up attacks against US personnel in the region are backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
“What we are seeing is the prospect for more significant escalation against U.S. forces and personnel across the region in the very near-term coming from Iranian proxy forces and ultimately from Iran,” Ryder said. “So by virtue of our announcement over the weekend, we are preparing for this escalation, both in terms of defending our forces and responding decisively.”
“And I just want to emphasize the point…that we always reserve the right to defend ourselves and we will never hesitate to take action when needed to protect our forces and our interests overseas,” Ryder said.
“Recently we’ve seen rocket and [unmanned aerial vehicle] UAV attacks against bases housing our troops in Iraq and Syria,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told ABC’s This Week on Sunday (Oct. 22). “We're concerned about potential escalation. In fact, what we're seeing is a …prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region. And because of that, we're going to do what's necessary to make sure that our troops are in… a good position, and they're protected, and that we have the ability to respond.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking at a UN Security Council meeting today on the Israel Gaza conflict in the wake of the Hamas massacre of over 1400 Israelis on October 7, said the United States would consider appeals for humanitarian pauses that would enable more aid to be delivered to Gaza, but rejected calls by many Council members to work for a ceasefire.
“Israel must take all possible precautions to avoid harm to civilians,” Blinken said. “Food, water, medicine, and other essential humanitarian assistance must be able to flow into Gaza and to the people who need them. …Civilians must be able to get out of harm’s way. It means humanitarian pauses must be considered for these purposes.”
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, asked about Blinken’s call for consideration of humanitarian pauses, subsequently said that is not the same thing as calling for a ceasefire.
“We want to see all measure of protection for civilians, and pauses in an operation is a tool and a tactic that can do that for temporary periods of time,” Kirby said at a White House briefing today. “That’s not the same as…a ceasefire. Again, right now, we believe a ceasefire benefits Hamas.”
“We condemn the killing of civilians,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told journalists after the UN meeting today, condemning both the Hamas massacre of Israelis, and the Israeli strikes that have killed Palestinian civilians. “We are outraged at what is happening now in Gaza.
“Each and every one of us standing here and our leaders warned that unless we solve this conflict, violence is going to erupt and the whole region would get dragged in to the abyss of the war that you see now,” he said.
“We should be outraged at failing the Palestinian people,” he said. “We should be outraged at failing the Israeli people by not giving them the peace that they deserve.”
Shibley Telhami, a Middle East expert at the University of Maryland and Brookings Institution who has consulted with U.S. officials about the situation, urged the U.S. administration to more publicly criticize strikes that kill civilians. More than 5000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, UN officials said today.
“I don't think they understand the extent to which their seeming embrace of the ground attack that's likely to happen in Gaza, how that is going to draw Hezbollah in, even with all the deterrence capabilities that they have,” Telhami said.
Despite the United States vocally pressing for more humanitarian aid to get into Gaza, it is “just naïve to think that would make a difference” in terms of easing Arab and regional outrage at the U.S. stance, Telhami said.
Asked what he would advise the U S administration to do, Telhami said three things.
“Number one is I would have them start criticizing the bombings that result in civilian casualties,” he said. “Number two, they have to put pressure to create humanitarian corridors that are open all the time and allow all the humanitarian aid to go in, including fuel and water that would be essential for humanitarian reasons.
“Third, they are going to have to start returning to…addressing the day after,” he said. “I think they are trying to do that, but I’m not sure anyone knows how the day after is going to shape up because, to my mind, it is completely unpredictable.”
Even as they warned about the prospect for significant escalation, Blinken and Pentagon officials again today stressed that the United States is not seeking conflict with Iran, and urged all parties to try to head off a wider conflict.
“Let me say this before this council… what we have consistently said to Iranian officials through other channels: The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Blinken told the UN body. “We do not want this war to widen.”
“But if Iran or its proxies attack U.S. personnel anywhere, make no mistake: We will defend our people, we will defend our security – swiftly and decisively,” Blinken said.
“To all of the members of this council: If you, like the United States, want to prevent this conflict from spreading, tell Iran, tell its proxies – in public, in private, through every means – do not open another front against Israel in this conflict; do not attack Israel’s partners,” he said. “Make clear that if Iran or its proxies widen this conflict and put more civilians at risk, you…will hold them accountable. Act as if the security and stability of the entire region and beyond is on the line, because it is.”
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