Sullivan: The U.S. Warned the Islamic Republic About Escalating Conflicts in Israel

As Israeli forces prepare for a large-scale operation in response to Hamas's surprise attack, the United States states that it has warned the Islamic Republic in recent days about escalating conflicts in Israel. Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday, "We have tools to communicate privately with Iran, and we have used those tools in recent days to clarify privately what we have said publicly." Sullivan noted that the U.S. cannot rule out the possibility of Iranian intervention in the conflict, but is monitoring both the potential for direct Tehran involvement and the activities of the Hezbollah proxy group at the Lebanese border. On Saturday, the U.S. announced the deployment of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean. Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, stated that this deployment is part of America's efforts to prevent hostile actions against Israel or any attempts to escalate the war following Hamas's attack on Israel. The Eisenhower strike group will join the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group, which arrived in the eastern Mediterranean earlier this week. Sullivan mentioned that the U.S. does not have new information indicating a risk of escalating tensions in the region, but the Islamic Republic warned in a social media post on Sunday that if "Israel's war crimes and genocide do not stop immediately, the situation will spiral out of control." Bloomberg, citing Tasnim, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reported that Ebrahim Raisi spoke on the phone with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday regarding the Israel-Hamas war. According to this report, Raisi stated that if the Israeli attacks and the blockade of Gaza do not cease, "the situation will become complicated and the battlefield will expand." Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a security cabinet meeting that Israel is preparing to "destroy Hamas." The Israeli army also announced that it is preparing for a wide range of offensive operations, supported by extensive logistics and hundreds of thousands of reserve forces, which may include coordinated attacks from air, sea, and land. Tzachi Hanegbi, head of the Israeli National Security Council, declared on Saturday that the aim of Israel in the current war is to end the political and military control of Hamas militants over the Gaza Strip. Jake Sullivan warned that Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons would lead to a regional nuclear arms race. The White House reported that at least 20 American citizens are missing in Israel and that they are investigating Tehran's role in the Hamas attacks. The Islamic Republic's support for Hamas has drawn condemnation from the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Japan regarding the attack on Israel. Netanyahu reiterated, "We will destroy Hamas." The U.S. has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region as a deterrent message to the Islamic Republic. A former Israeli military official stated that if Hamas is not destroyed, Israel will have "no right to exist." The Israeli army denied attacking a convoy in Gaza that was attempting to move south.