The world is discussing the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the capital of Iran. US ministers have also made successive statements on the subject.
“Nothing can diminish the importance of reaching an agreement. I’m not going to try to predict what the impact of this or that event will be. We had no knowledge of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh and no connection to it,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.
DEFENSE MINISTER AUSTIN: “WE WILL DEFINITELY HELP DEFEND ISRAEL”
On the other hand, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made statements to reporters in the Philippines, where he visited for talks. According to İHA, Austin, who touched on the crisis in the Middle East in his statement, stated that he did not agree with the idea that a wider war in the region was inevitable, and said, “I do not think war is inevitable. I maintain that opinion. I believe there is always room and opportunity for diplomacy.”
Underlining that they are concerned about the tensions on Israel’s northern border, Austin said, “I would like to reiterate that we will do everything we can to prevent events from escalating into a wider conflict throughout the region.”
“WE WILL TRY TO REDUCE TENSION THROUGH DIPLOMACY”
Asked if he had any detailed information about the killing of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh, Austin said: “I have no additional information to provide.”
Asked whether the U.S. would provide defensive support to Israel in a full-scale conflict, Austin said, “We will certainly help defend Israel. You saw us do that in April. You can expect us to do it again.”
Austin reiterated that diplomacy is his priority, referring to the possibility of a full-scale conflict, saying: “We don’t want to see any of that happen. We’re going to work very hard to make sure that we do things that help de-escalate tensions and address issues through diplomacy.”