Blinken, Austin say US is ready to respond if US personnel become targets of Israel-Hamas war
DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Updated Sun, October 22, 2023 at 10:02 PM EDT·4 min read
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday that the United States expects the Israel-Hamas war to escalate through involvement by proxies of Iran, and they asserted that the Biden administration is prepared to respond if American personnel or armed forces become the target of any such hostilities.
“This is not what we want, not what we're looking for. We don't want escalation,” Blinken said. "We don't want to see our forces or our personnel come under fire. But if that happens, we're ready for it.”
Austin, echoing Blinken, said “what we’re seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region.”
https://news.yahoo.com/blinken-says-us-ready-respond-172109926.html