US Leaders Urge Calm in Middle East as More Troops Deploy

Top U.S. national security leaders have called for calm in the Middle East, urging all involved parties to avoid escalating the conflict. This appeal comes even as the U.S. deploys more troops to the region and warns of retaliation if American forces are attacked.

“It’s urgent that everyone in the region take stock of the situation, understand the risk of miscalculation, and make decisions that will calm tensions, not exacerbate them,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated after a meeting with Australian leaders.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted a recent attack on U.S. forces in Iraq by an Iranian-backed militia, which injured seven personnel, and emphasized that the U.S. will respond if necessary. “Make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region,” Austin said, stressing readiness to meet evolving threats.

Blinken and Austin met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss military cooperation and diplomatic efforts in the Asia Pacific. Both U.S. leaders emphasized the importance of de-escalation and a cease-fire.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong echoed these sentiments, highlighting the risks of escalation and miscalculation in the region, calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

The situation has been further complicated by Hamas naming Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, following the October 7 attacks in Israel. This move, coupled with Tehran’s vow of revenge for the killing of a Hamas leader in Iran and Hezbollah’s threats of retaliation over an Israeli strike in Beirut, has heightened fears of a broader war.

Efforts by American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators to negotiate a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza have been hindered by these developments. Blinken underscored that further attacks would only perpetuate the conflict and mentioned ongoing diplomatic efforts to communicate this message directly to Iran and Israel.

Austin detailed recent U.S. military movements to defend Israel and safeguard U.S. troops, including the deployment of additional fighter jets and the replacement of the USS Theodore Roosevelt with the USS Abraham Lincoln in the region. According to a U.S. official, about a dozen F/A-18 fighter jets and an E-2D Hawkeye surveillance aircraft from the USS Theodore Roosevelt were deployed to a Middle Eastern military base on Monday. These jets are expected to be temporarily stationed there until a squadron of Air Force F-22 fighter jets arrives from Alaska.

Details were also provided on the rocket attack on the al-Asad airbase in Iraq, which injured five U.S. service members and two contractors. The injured are in stable condition, with two evacuated for further treatment. This attack is the latest in a series of strikes by Iranian-backed militias against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, a pattern that has escalated tensions in the Middle East.

Between October and January, an umbrella group called the Islamic Resistance in Iraq regularly claimed attacks against U.S. bases in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in its conflict with Hamas, aiming to push U.S. troops out of the region.