US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with his counterparts from China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the European Union. He made it clear "that (military) escalation benefits no one and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate it," he said.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel would be "punished" The possible attack could occur in the coming days, according to people familiar with the situation.. U.S. officials are helping Israel plan and share intelligence assessments, the people said.. Israel has told its allies that it is waiting for this attack to occur before launching another ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah, Gaza, they say.. The United States has made repeated public calls for China to do more about the crisis in the Middle East, such as putting pressure on Iran, which supports the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the U.N. says. sources say an attack by Iran and its proxies may not necessarily come from northern Israel, but from Lebanon.