U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned against the risk of escalation in the Middle East after the detonation of thousands of Hezbollah pagers threatened to derail his latest regional diplomacy push.
News of the blasts broke as the top U.S. diplomat traveled to Cairo to meet senior Egyptian officials hoping to advance efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and improve ties with Egypt.
Militant group Hezbollah promised to retaliate against Israel, accusing it of detonating pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday killing at least 12 people, including two children, and wounding nearly 3,000.
Israel has declined to respond to questions about the explosions.
Asked about the blasts, Blinken said the United States was still gathering facts but it was in no one’s interest for conflict to spread.
Editor Oloyede Oworu
