Politics 11:26 05/08/2024 Region

Blinken reportedly told G7 Iran could attack Israel in next 24 hours

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken told his counterparts from the G7 countries on Sunday that an attack by Iran and Hezbollah against Israel could start as early as Monday, three sources briefed on the call tell Axios.

Blinken convened the conference call to coordinate with close U.S. allies and try to generate last-minute diplomatic pressure on Iran and Hezbollah to minimize their retaliation as much as possible. He stressed that limiting the impact of their strikes is the best chance to prevent all-out war.

Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah have vowed to respond to the assassinations by Israel of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

The sources said Blinken stressed that the U.S. believes Iran and Hezbollah will both retaliate.

But unlike the Iranian attack against Israel on April 13 — in which Iran launched nearly 350 attack drones and missiles toward Israel, and Israel, the U.S. and their allies worked together to intercept most of them — Blinken said it's unclear what form the retaliation will take.

Blinken said the U.S. doesn't know the exact timing of the attacks but stressed it could start as early as the next 24-48 hours — meaning as early as Monday, the sources said.

The secretary of state told his counterparts the U.S. is making efforts to break the escalatory cycle by trying to limit the attacks by Iran and Hezbollah as much as possible and then restrain the Israeli response.

Blinken asked the other foreign ministers to apply diplomatic pressure on Iran, Hezbollah and Israel to maintain maximum restraint.

Blinken told the G7 foreign ministers that the boosting of U.S. forces in the region was for defensive purposes only, the sources said.

One source who was on the call said Blinken sounded frustrated when he briefed the ministers on recent talks with Israel over a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Blinken said the administration felt it was "close to a breakthrough" before the assassination in Tehran. Now a deal is needed more than ever, Blinken added.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

14:46
At least 20 aid workers killed in Gaza in a month
Israel has killed at least 20 aid workers in Gaza over the past month, humanitarian groups told Al Jazeera, as it continues its relentless war...
14:27
Lawyer: At least seven Armenian women tortured to death by Azeri soldiers in 2020
Azerbaijan is using the COP29 UN climate summit both to “greenwash” and “peacewash” its global image, says Anna...
13:36
Expert: Armenia very vulnerable to climate change
Climate change expert Irina Ghaplanyan warned of Armenia’s vulnerability to climate change as she addressed a conference titled “The...
13:01
Gurgen Arsenyan attends Lavrov's meeting with CSTO ambassadors
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday held a meeting in Moscow with ambassadors and permanent and plenipotentiary...
12:36
Extreme hypocrisy: Greta Thunberg slams COP29 in Azerbaijan
Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday attended a conference titled “The Impact of Azerbaijan’s Aggression on...
11:55
Impact of Azeri aggression on environmental protection: COP29 side event kicks off in Yerevan
Yerevan is hosting a conference titled “The Impact of Azerbaijan’s Aggression on Human Rights and Environmental...
11:34
French ecology minister hits back at Aliyev
France's ecology minister pulled out of the COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan Wednesday after its authoritarian leader accused France of...
11:22
Two Armenian players among leaders at European Individual Chess Championship
The European Individual Chess Championship 2024 continues in Petrovac, Montenegro. After the 6th round, the sole leader is Serbian GM...
11:00
Who are Trump's latest Cabinet picks?
US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard to serve as his director of national intelligence....
17:07
Defense minister: Armenia has no plans to use military to reclaim occupied lands
Armenia has no plans to reclaim around 200 square kilometers of land currently under Azerbaijani occupation by military means, Defense...
16:50
Acba bank and American Express expand collaboration in Armenia
Acba bank and American Express have announced an expansion of their long-standing agreement which grants Acba the license to issue American...
16:34
Yerevan theater staff protests outside HRD office
Employees of Yerevan’s Goy Theater on Wednesday held a protest outside the office of Armenia’s human rights defender (HRD),...
16:03
Lemkin Institute slams COP29 participants for silence over Artsakh genocide
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has responded to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's remarks at the COP29 UN climate summit in...
15:46
Strong winds expected in Armenia on Saturday
Clear weather is expected in Armenia on Wednesday and in the next two days, the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center reports. Rain and...
15:28
Council of Europe committee urges Armenia to close Nubarashen Prison
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on...
14:58
Yerevan municipal employees remanded in custody
Four people, including three officials, have been detained for two months as part of a criminal probe into corruption at Yerevan's Kentron...
14:25
Bus carrying wedding guests falls into river in northern Pakistan
A bus carrying about two dozen wedding guests fell into the Indus River in northern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing at least 18 people, AP...
14:15
Opposition resolution calls for immediate release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku
The opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions in the Armenian parliament introduced a resolution calling for the immediate release of all...
13:36
Russian gas supply to Armenia suspended
Russian natural gas supply to Armenia has been temporarily halted due to emergency repairs on the Kazakh-Saguramo pipeline in Georgia. In a...
13:15
John Krasinski named People's Sexiest Man Alive
People magazine has named John Krasinski the 2024 Sexiest Man Alive. Krasinski was revealed to be the newest winner of the honorable title...
12:55
'No Armenian is safe': Ruben Vardanyan's son urges action on political prisoners held in Baku
In a heartfelt and compelling video, David Vardanyan, the son of Armenian humanitarian and former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan,...
12:30
Armenian FM, Stockholm City Council chair discuss cooperation opportunities
On November 12, within the framework of his visit to Sweden, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with President of the Stockholm City...
12:05
Azerbaijan, the rogue state hosting COP29: Artak Beglaryan's interview to Le Figaro
Artak Beglaryan, president of the Artsakh Union, former State Minister and Human rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Artsakh, gave an interview...
11:45
Trump names Elon Musk to lead new 'government efficiency' department
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he's tapped tech billionaire Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, and former Republican...
11:30
Armenia's Aleks Sahakyan to be awarded IM title
Armenian chess player Aleks Sahakyan overcame the 2400 rating threshold within the framework of the World Youth Chess Championship and will be...
11:15
Armenians now have a new target: Jordan for buckling under Azerbaijan's pressure
By Harut Sassounian www.thecaliforniacourier.com As if Armenians did not have enough problems to deal with, they must now insist that...
11:00
Greta Thunberg arrives In Armenia, boycotting COP29 In Baku
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived in Armenia on Tuesday after announcing a boycott of the COP29 UN climate summit in...
17:00
Rain, snow expected in Armenia on Tuesday
Rain and snow are expected in some parts of Armenia on Tuesday and over the weekend. Clear weather is forecast for the next three days....
16:45
Melania Trump expected to skip White House meeting with Jill Biden
Melania Trump is not expected to attend the traditional White House meeting with first lady Jill Biden, CNN reported, citing sources...
16:31
Urartu names new director
FC Urartu has named Davit Shakhbagyan as the club’s new general director. The specialist has been part of the club since 2015, it said...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}