Secretary of State Blinken: “We are ready to respond if US forces and personnel are targeted”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States was prepared to protect American forces and personnel in the Middle East in the event of escalating conflicts between Israel and Palestine.
Speaking on NBC’s program “Meet the Press,” Blinken mentioned that the US expected the Israel-Palestine conflict to escalate with the involvement of Iran. He emphasized that the Biden administration was ready to respond if American personnel or armed forces in the region became the target of any hostile actions.
Blinken remarked, “This is not what we want. We do not want the situation to escalate. We do not want our forces or personnel to come under fire, but if that happens, we are prepared.” He underlined that no one wanted to see a second or third front in the war.
Blinken also mentioned their expectation that Iranian officials might increase attacks on US forces and personnel in the region. He stated that necessary measures had been taken to ensure their security and respond resolutely when needed.
Additional military assets have been deployed to the region, including two aircraft carrier strike groups, according to Blinken. He explained, “We did this not to provoke but to deter and to make it clear that we are there if anyone attempts to do something.”
The US State Department had issued a written statement today, ordering non-essential personnel to depart from the US Embassy in Erbil and the Erbil Consulate.
