The risk of unintended escalation in the Middle East “is a very real threat,” says the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, quoted by the American station CNN.
– Israel is still carefully considering how to respond to the recent missile attack Iran – said the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency on Monday (CIA) William Burns. He spoke about the situation in the Middle East during a conference on national security issues in Sea Island, Georgia. However, he refused to speculate on what Israel's response to the Iranian attack would be.
Although the authorities USA continue to assess that neither Israel nor Iran is seeking full-scale war, Burns said the risk of unintentional escalation in the Middle East “is a very real threat.”
“You can see the potential for unintentional collisions, misunderstandings and actions that take on a life of their own,” said the CIA chief, quoted by CNN.
Burns also said he remains hopeful that an agreement can be reached between Israel and Hamas that could lead to the release of the remaining hostages.
“Everything is on the table”
President of the USA Joe Biden said last week that he would not support an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. However, it is unclear whether his administration managed to convince the Israeli authorities to give up this option, CNN reported.
On Sunday, Israel's defense minister told this station that “everything is on the table” regarding a possible response to Iran's attack. Israel “has the ability to strike targets near and far” and “will not wait idly,” he added.
On October 1, it was launched from Iran nearly 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel. Most of them were intercepted. Tehran said the attack was revenge for the killing of the leaders of Lebanese Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas, as well as an Iranian general. The Jewish state announced retaliation.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA