US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has acknowledged the heightened tensions in the Middle East, describing the situation as a 'dangerous moment'. Despite this, Austin emphasized that the United States is committed to avoiding a wider conflict while still taking necessary actions to defend its interests. He also noted that Iranian proxy groups have been attacking US troops even before October 7, indicating ongoing hostilities. Moreover, Austin stated that the recent events in the region are not leading the US to consider withdrawing its troops from Iraq and Syria, underlining the US's intention to maintain its presence and contain the crisis, particularly in Gaza.
Secretary of Defense Austin: "In terms of escalation in the Middle East, you know, our goal was to make sure that we contain this crisis in Gaza and that we prevented things from spreading to a wider conflict. Now, there's a lot of activity in the region but there's always been a… https://t.co/5KAyotQuAm
🔴 US DEFENCE SECRETARY AUSTIN: RECENT EVENTS ARE NOT PROMPTING THE US TO CONSIDER WITHDRAWING TROOPS FROM IRAQ & SYRIA.
#US Defense Secretary #LloydAustin says that this was a dangerous moment in the #MiddleEast but the United States would work to avoid a wider conflict. https://t.co/lvONVCHj6J https://t.co/X5bcetA8y1
Austin: “There’s a lot of activity in the region, but there’s always been a lot of activity in the region … Iranian proxy groups have been attacking our troops even well before October 7.”
🔴 US DEFENCE SECRETARY AUSTIN: WE WILL CONTINUE TO AVOID WIDER CONFLICT BUT WILL TAKE NECESSARY ACTIONS TO DEFEND THE US.