U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appealed for “all parties” in the Middle East to avoid escalatory actions that could plunge the region into further conflict, and said Thursday that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was the only way to begin to break the cycle of violence and suffering.
The remarks came as prayers were held by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and representatives of Palestinian militia groups for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard. Worry has spread that the shock assassination risks escalating the fighting into an all-out regional war.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack, but suspicion quickly fell on Israel, which has
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