US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
"This is not what we want, not what we're looking for. We don't want escalation," Blinken said. "We don't want to see our forces or our personnel come under fire. But if that happens, we're ready for it."
US Defence Secretary said "What we're seeing is a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops and our people throughout the region", adding that the US "won't hesitate to take the appropriate action."
The US officials' warning came amidst the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, US Defence Secretary ordered the activation of air defence systems and notified additional forces that they may be deployed soon.
"The US has seen a prospect of a significant escalation of attacks on our troops in the region," Austin said, adding that the US military is preparing for "the ability to respond."
Israel has traded fire with the Lebanese Hezbollah group on a near-daily basis since the start of the conflict, and tensions are rising in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces have attacked refugee camps and carried out airstrikes in recent days.
Short link: