Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly warned G7 leaders during a conference call that Iran and Hezbollah could launch an attack on Israel within the next 24-48 hours, according to several sources.
Three people who were given information regarding the call told Axios that Blinken told leaders of G7 countries that the United States government believes Iran and Hezbollah will retaliate in response to the deaths of Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah’s second-in-command, Fuad Shukr.
Blinken added that while the U.S. is expecting Iran and Hezbollah’s imminent retaliation on Israel to come as early as Monday, they are unsure exactly how or what the retaliation will look like, the sources told the outlet.
One of the sources claimed that Blinken “sounded frustrated” and stated that the Biden administration thought they were “close to a breakthrough” regarding a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel and Hamas prior to Haniyeh’s death in Tehran.
Secretary Antony J. Blinken holds a joint press availability in Manila, Philippines, July 30, 2024. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)
G7 Foreign Ministers from countries such as Canada, Italy, Japan, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and a “High Representative” for the European Union issued a joint statement on Sunday urging “all involved parties” to try to “lower tensions and engage constructively” to try to deescalate the situation.
“We urge all involved parties once again to refrain from perpetuating the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence, to lower tensions and engage constructively toward de-escalation,” the statement said. “No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East.”
As Breitbart News previously reported, Israel has braced itself for an attack from Iran over the weekend as Iranian leaders have threatened to strike back in response to Haniyeh.
In response to the threats of retaliation on Israel, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines suspended flights to Israel.